LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson had 31 points and eight rebounds, Jackie Young added 20 points and the Las Vegas Aces beat the first-place Minnesota Lynx 97-87 on Thursday night to set a franchise record with their 13th straight victory.
Wilson scored 30-plus points for 12th time this season to tie a WNBA record.
Las Vegas (27-14) snapped a six-game losing streak in the series, with its last victory over the Lynx coming on May 29, 2024. The Aces moved into a second-place tie with Atlanta (27-14) and Phoenix (27-14), five games behind Minnesota (32-9).
The Aces went ahead 63-55 five minutes into the third quarter after 3-pointers from Jewell Loyd and Young. Las Vegas finished the quarter up 70-66 after a buzzer-beater layup from Chelsea Gray.
Wilson hit her only 3-pointer of the game halfway through the fourth to extend the lead to 81-71.
Natisha Hiedeman scored 22 points off the bench for Minnesota, 11 in the fourth quarter. Courtney Williams added 14 points and Napheesa Collier had 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Las Vegas shot 55.1% from the field, including 11 of 24 from 3-point range.
The Aces, who lost by 53 points to Minnesota in their last meeting on Aug. 2, became the seventh team in WNBA history to reach 13 wins in a row in a single season.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith (3) tries to steal the ball from Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) celebrates after a play against the Minnesota Lynx during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates after a play against the Minnesota Lynx during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote Thursday on social media, “Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
A social media post from U.S. Southern Command on the capture said that Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to make the capture while Noem’s post noted that, like in previous raids, a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team conducted the boarding and seizure.
Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.
The Veronica is the sixth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products, and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
Noem, in her social media post, said that the raid was carried out with “close coordination with our colleagues” in the military as well as the State and Justice departments.
“Our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law,” Noem added.
As with prior posts, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”
However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see it as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Last week, Trump met with executives from oil companies to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)
