Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service
By Shawn McCullough
The Las Vegas Aces dropped their second straight game in an 87-83 loss to the Atlanta Dream at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Friday.
A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Kayla McBride added 13 points.
The Aces kept the game close until early in the third quarter when the Dream went on a 16-3 run to take control of the game.
Head Coach Bill Laimbeer has been stressing defense throughout the season, but sparking offense was the struggle for the Aces against the Dream.
“We gave up too many offensive rebounds to this team, but overall I think our defense was OK,” said Laimbeer. “I think our offense is what hurt us today.”
“It was an offensive struggle,” said Wilson. “I know for myself, my mind was all over the place, but it is something that I can work on and control.”
The Aces will next play four straight games on the road in Phoenix, Indiana, New York and Dallas.
“It’s going to be tough on the road, but if we have our mentality, it really doesn’t matter if we are home or away,” said Wilson. “Our focus is there and we have to continue to push through.”
With the loss, the Aces dropped to 1-6 on the season.
“We have all of the pieces to the puzzle, it’s just a matter of coming together,” said Wilson. “We are still young and we are still missing a few players, but we are learning.”
The Aces next home game will be on Sunday, June 17th against the Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com
Game Notes:
- The game was an early Friday matinee game scheduled at noon Pacific.
- 5,913 Aces fans attended the game.
- A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (20) for the seventh straight game.
- Nia Coffey (ankle) and Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.
Game Starters:
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
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