Category: Las Vegas Aces

Aces win season opener, 83-70, behind Wilson and McBride

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20190526 - A'ja Wilson 03

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough (Sports Radio Service)

By Shawn McCullough

LAS VEGAS — The Aces are now learning “how” to win.

Las Vegas won their season opener, 83-70, over the Los Angeles Sparks at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“We’ve got to learn how to win and today’s a good start,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with a double-double, 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Kayla McBride scored 20, shooting 9 of 15 from the field.

Dearica Hamby also contributed a double-double, scoring 12 and pulling down 14 rebounds.

With this just being the team’s second season in Las Vegas, the young Aces are starting to feel a chemistry among teammates.

“We know each other, we get our vibes,” said Wilson. “We understand each other, we know exactly where to put each other in situations to get the best out of them when we need them. Last year was tough, because we didn’t know one another, but this year, the energy is there, we’re all vibing off each other, we’re all feeding off each other on and off the court. That is something special.”

Newly acquired center Liz Cambage sat out the game due to an Achilles injury, but liked what she saw.

“That had me so hype, watching these girls go out there and play hard, a real team game,” said Cambage. “Everyone getting their points, everyone hustling, that’s the team game that I like to play.”

With the win, the Aces started the season 1-0, after starting 0-4 last season.

The Aces will next travel to Phoenix on Friday to face the Mercury before returning home to the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sunday to play the Connecticut Sun.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • Former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant was in attendance, along with Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis.
  • Sparks star Candace Parker sat out with a hamstring injury.
  • The Aces took their first lead with 2:44 left in the first quarter and never trailed after.
  • 7,249 fans were in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 21 Kayla McBride
C – 8 Carolyn Swords
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces introduce their new acquisition, center Liz Cambage

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20190520 - Liz Cambage

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough (Sports Radio Service)

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces pulled off one of the biggest trades in the WNBA’s 23 year existence.

Last Thursday, the Aces traded point guard Moriah Jefferson, forward Isabelle Harrison and their 2020 first round draft pick to the Dallas Wings for center Liz Cambage.

Cambage led the WNBA in scoring last season averaging 23 points per game and also averaged 9.7 rebounds per game.

Not only does the 6-8 Australian center fill a need for a dominant presence in the paint for the Aces, but she also brings much needed leadership to a young Las Vegas team.

“Liz is perfect for our town and our team,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “We needed a big power player on the inside, but the most important thing about Liz is that she’s a smart basketball player. She knows the game, she knows how to involve her teammates and she brings an attitude that we don’t presently have, a toughness and an attitude of how you play basketball.”

“I am very excited to be here,” said Cambage. “Now teams can’t double-team me.   What, are you going to leave A’ja [Wilson] open? Are you going to leave the girls open on the 3-point line?  We have so many strengths in every area.  It is so exciting.”

But despite being very happy to be in Las Vegas now, Cambage struggled on her road to Sin City.

She was drafted in 2011 at the age of 20 by the Tulsa Shock, but was very unhappy with her first year in Tulsa and with the organization.

“I was drafted to a team that I was open to not wanting to be a part of.  When I came to the league, I was looking to be nurtured, I wanted to grow and I wanted to be looked after and cared for, but I was thrown in the deep end and I was just another object,” said Cambage in tears at her introductory press conference.  “My first year in Tulsa, I cried on the phone every night to my mum and my agent because I just wanted to be out of there.   The Tulsa Shock didn’t care and it ruined me to the point where I had to step away.”

From the day she was drafted in 2011, she only played three seasons in the WNBA (2011 and 2013 in Tulsa and 2018 in Dallas – formerly the Tulsa Shock).  Outside of the WNBA, Cambage played three years for three different teams in China, averaging 30.5 points per game.

After the acquisition of Cambage, the Aces are now considered the favorites to win the 2019 WNBA championship.

Aces assess talent in 79-75 preseason loss to Minnesota

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20190519 - A'ja Wilson 03

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough (Sports Radio Service)

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces have a list of number one draft picks and now have two time WNBA All-Star Center Liz Cambage, who they acquired in a trade with Dallas last week.

The first preseason game allowed Head Coach Bill Laimbeer to assess his team in a 79-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx at Cox Pavilion on the campus of UNLV.

“We only had one preseason game, that was this one, to see where we are at and what we need to work on,” said Laimbeer. ”We need to be able to score and make shots in big times. At the end of the day, we need to learn how to win, because this franchise up to this point, doesn’t know how to win.”

Cambage arrived in Las Vegas just prior to tipoff and didn’t play, but Kayla McBride led the Aces with 18 points, while A’ja Wilson added 16 points and six rebounds.

“We have a lot of talent, a lot of number one picks,” said McBride. “I am just really excited to see when it all comes together because it is going to be dangerous. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

2019 first overall draft pick Jackie Young made her Aces debut scoring 16 points while going 7-10 from the field.

“We know what she can do,” said Laimbeer of Jackie Young. “It’s a matter of can she do it on the big stage and I think today was a good learning experience for her and our team to understand her capabilities.”

The Aces will start the regular season this coming Sunday at 5:00 pm against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • Liz Cambage arrived in Las Vegas prior to tipoff and arrived courtside during pregame warmups and was greeted with hugs from both the Aces coaching staff and players.
  • The Aces led at halftime 40-32.
  • The Lynx made 10 three point shots to Vegas’ four.
  • The Aces turned the ball over 14 times.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 21 Kayla McBride
C – 8 Carolyn Swords
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Dream turns Aces’ finale into a nightmare 93-78 loss

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
ACESDREAM 1q
Atlanta led 20-19 after the first quarter Photo: @LVAces

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Las Vegas Aces (14-20) knew the game on Sunday was their last game of the 2018 season. The Aces had been eliminated from the playoffs on Friday night in Dallas. They hoped to put on a good show for the crowd in their finale and keep the Atlanta Dream from earning a double bye in the first round of the playoffs.

The Aces did put on a good show for the fans–at least for three quarters–but they came up short on their plan to beat the Dream. Atlanta (23-11) beat Las Vegas 93-78 handing the Aces their 20th loss of the season.

The Dream held just a 64-62 lead at the end of three quarters. It looked like the Aces were well positioned to make a run to win the game in the final quarter, but it was not meant to be. Atlanta outscored Las Vegas 29-16 in the final period and ran away with the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Dream had won the game 93-78 and earned a double bye to escape the single elimination games in the playoffs.

ACESDREAM 3rd
The Aces trailed by just two points after three quarters Photo: @LVAces

“Games like this are always tough,” said Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer in his postgame comments. “You get eliminated from the playoffs and have to go out there and find the motivation to keep working. We are professional basketball players, so I told the team before that we are going to play a lot of people tonight.  I want to compete – to win the game – and for the most part, I think we did for a half. We came out in the 3rdquarter and you could see we just didn’t have it anymore, mentally, they didn’t put forth the effort to win the game. [Atlanta] needed it badly, they did the job, they got the win.  I told [the team] after the game – be proud of this year, it was a great year for the Las Vegas Aces. We launched a franchise.  We competed and showed who we were – individually and collectively – and our franchise and our fans got to come out and enjoy a great product and a great sport, and MGM did a wonderful job launching this franchise. So, I told them to be proud of themselves.  Yeah, we didn’t make the playoffs, but we are really looking forward to next year.”

Aces Postgame Notes

  • A’ja Wilson put up 21 points to score in double figures for the 33rd time to start her career. She also scored 20-plus points for the 18th time in 2018.
  • Dearica Hamby–14 points–posted double figures for the 12th time this season.
  • Kelsey Bone scored nine points, which was one off of her season-highs.
  • The Las Vegas Aces won six more games (14 to 8) this season than they did as the San Antonio Stars in 2017.

Atlanta Postgame Notes

  • The Dream finished the season with a franchise record 23 regular season wins.
  • Elizabeth Williams led the Dream in scoring with 20 points–her 14th double-digit scoring game of the season.
  • Renee Montgomery posted 16 points and dished out a season-high nine assists on Sunday.
  • Atlanta’s record is now 16-3 when they score 80-plus points in a game.
  • The Dream swept the season series with the Aces.

Aces eliminated from playoff contention with 107-102 loss to Dallas

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Aja

Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces fought through the second to the last game of the regular season, but fell short of the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The Wings got 43 points from center Liz Cambage to beat the Aces 107-102 at the College Park Center in Dallas on Friday.

Forward A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 34 points and seven rebounds, while guard Kayla McBride added a double-double, 16 points and 12 assists.

The Aces led by six points at halftime, but Dallas battled back and later held off Las Vegas down the stretch of the game.

The Aces trail the Wings by one game for the final playoff spot with one game remaining for each team, but since Dallas beat Las Vegas all three times this season, the Wings win the tie breaker in the event the two teams end the season tied.

With the loss, the Aces fell to 14-19 on the season, still improving on an 8-26 record last season.

The Aces will finish the season on Sunday against the Atlanta Dream at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 pm PDT.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (34) for the 31st straight game.
  • The Aces shot 57.7% from the field.
  • The Aces were out-rebounded 42-25.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 8 Carolyn Swords
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces making final playoff push, beat Liberty 85-72

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20180815 - A'ja Wilson 14

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

Playoffs were not even a thought when the Las Vegas Aces started the season 1-7 as one of the youngest teams in the WNBA.

Now, the Aces control their own destiny in making the WNBA playoffs after an 85-72 win over the New York Liberty at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Wednesday night.

“I told them (the Aces players) at the start of the season that at the end of the season they wanted to be the team that no one wanted to play,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “And I think we have accomplished that goal. I think that teams don’t want to play us because we have the capability of scoring a lot of points and move up and down the floor. We’re at the point now that we have a chance (for the playoffs).”

All five of the Aces starters scored in double digits led by forward A’ja Wilson, who dropped 19 points.

The Aces jumped out quickly in the game, building a 31-10 lead after the first quarter, but the Liberty scrapped back throughout the game.

“Players know that they have to play intense for 40 minutes or you let teams back in the game and that’s what happened today,” said Laimbeer. “But at the same time, a win is a win and on to the next game which we all know the importance of, so I think we’re excited and we put ourselves in the position to have a one game shootout.  It’s a big game for us so I guess we have to go win.”

With the Aces and the Dallas Wings tied for the final playoff spot with each having two games left in the regular season, the two teams play on Friday in Dallas in a must win game for the Aces.

“We want to take it one game at a time,” said guard Kayla McBride. “Obviously you know with Dallas we’re tied for 8th place with them right now, so it’s a win or go home game, like a single elimination game and we know that we are going to prepare as best we can, rest up, go to Dallas and go to work.”

If the Aces lose that game, the will be eliminated from playoff contention, due to Dallas holding the tiebreaker after beating the Aces three times in the season.

If the Aces win, Las Vegas will earn a playoff berth with either a win over Atlanta on Sunday or a Dallas loss to Seattle on Sunday.

The Aces final two regular season games:

8/17 – at Dallas
8/19 – vs Atlanta

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (19) in all 31 of her games so far this season.
  • The Aces shot 52.2% from the field while holding New York to 43.1%.
  • 7,159 Aces fans attended the game at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
  • NBA players Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors and Kyle O’Quinn of the Indiana Pacers were in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 8 Carolyn Swords
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces beat Indiana 92-74, maintain playoff hopes

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20180811 - A'ja Wilson 07

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces have not quite given up on playoffs just yet.

The Aces came out laser focused and beat the Indiana Fever 92-74 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday night.

“I think we all knew we needed to get a win and we all came out with great energy,” said forward A’ja Wilson. “The crowd helped us of course, but we were definitely laser focused.”

Wilson scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds as point guard Kelsey Plum led the team with 20 points.

“I definitely think that our team was locked in,” said Plum. “We knew that this was a must win game and we knew that we needed to come to play, bring our A game and I was really proud with everyone that we did that.”

The win was big for the Aces’ playoff hopes after losing five straight coming out of the All-Star Break.

Despite the push for the playoffs, head coach Bill Laimbeer is preaching the “one game at a time” approach.

“They (the Aces players) are feeling a little bit of pressure because they were in a position to compete for a playoff spot and I just told them that they weren’t expected to have a chance at the playoffs so there’s no pressure,” said Laimbeer. “Just go out and play basketball and take it one game at a time and that’s what they did tonight”.

With the win, the Aces improved to 13-18 on the season and moved to within 1.5 games of the 8th place Dallas Wings for the final playoff spot.

The Aces have three remaining games in the regular season:

8/15 – vs New York
8/17 – at Dallas
8/19 – vs Atlanta

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (19) in all 31 games so far this season.
  • The Aces shot 46.2% from the field while holding Indiana to just 36.3%.
  • The Aces dominated the Fever on the boards, pulling down 48 rebounds against just 33 for Indiana.
  • 5,213 Aces fans attended the game at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
  • Retired 50-0 boxer Floyd Mayweather was in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 8 Carolyn Swords
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum