Aisha Sheppard and her Las Vegas Aces, the one seed in the Western Conference, begin the WNBA Playoffs Wednesday evening against the Phoenix Mercury. During the regular season, the Aces won all three contests against Phoenix.
Sheppard, a rookie, has played in 23 of the squad's 36 regular season games. She averages 7.6 minutes and 1.5 points per game backing up perhaps the most dynamic back court in the league. The Aces three starting guards; Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young have all won Olympic gold medals.
First Round Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Phoenix at Las Vegas, Wednesday, Aug. 17 (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 2: Phoenix at Las Vegas, Saturday, Aug. 20 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Game 3*: Las Vegas at Phoenix, Tuesday, Aug. 23 (TBD)
The program's highest ever selection, Sheppard was taken with the 23rd overall pick in the WNBA Draft in April.
Sheppard, the program's all-time leader in games played and points scored became the first VT athlete to be named All-ACC three times and additionally was named All-Tournament in Greensboro in 2022 and is a two-time All-Academic Team selection.
The Alexandria, Virginia native broke the program's scoring record, her own single-season 3-point mark and the ACC's career 3FG record in 2021-22 with 96.
She concluded her career in first place all-time in the ACC with 402 3-pointers scored and she owns the top three single-season performances in that category at VT. Sheppard earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in 2021 and was also recognized as the Skelton Award for Academic Excellence in Athletics in 2021.