Category: Las Vegas Aces

Aces four game winning streak comes to an end with loss to Sparks 99-78

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Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces kept the game close through three quarters, but Las Vegas was outscored 35-15 in the fourth quarter by the Los Angeles Sparks in a 99-78 loss at Delano Las Vegas on Sunday.

“Once things got going well for them (Los Angeles), they just kept going and kept pushing and they’re a good team, they’ve been together for a while,” said rookie A’ja Wilson of the fourth quarter run by the Sparks.

“I got a sense that we got worn down mentally,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “Los Angeles is a very strong team. They’ve been to the finals three years in a row and are former champions. They execute under pressure. We didn’t.”

Laimbeer also publically had very strong words on the performance of Wilson.

“After the game I made it clear to her (Wilson) and the team that she can’t put her head down like that,” said Laimbeer of Wilson.  “It was clear to everybody on her team and everybody in the gym that she missed a couple of shots, became disengaged from the game and dragged the rest of the team down. For the undisputed leader of our ball club, that cannot happen. I think that was made very clear to her. She understands it. We’re going to find out how she deals with it.”

“I take full blame for tonight,” said Wilson. “I didn’t engage the way I needed to be engaged and it showed.  I can’t afford to do that for my team, so in the stretch it was all about mental toughness and I take full blame for it because I was not good.”

Wilson scored 15 points while shooting 6-for-20 from the field and Kayla McBride added 18.

With the loss, the Aces fell to 10-13 on the season, but have still won four of their last five games.

The Aces trail the Connecticut Sun and the Minnesota Lynx by 2.5 games for the 8th spot in the WNBA standings, as the top eight teams in the league make the playoffs.

The Aces will next play the Mercury on Thursday in Phoenix.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The game saw 19 lead changes and six ties.
  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (15) for the 23rd straight game.
  • The Aces have won four of their last 5 games.
  • 4,810 Aces fans were in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aced That Test: Vegas holds on at Minnesota, their first win over the Lynx since 2014

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Photo courtesy of Aaron Lavinsky/Minneapolis Star Tribune

By Morris Phillips

MINNEAPOLIS — The growth process of the Las Vegas Aces reached a significant milestone on Friday night.

Winning at the Target Center–in front of the WNBA’s best home crowd–and maintaining a lead throughout the fourth quarter when as many things went wrong as went right, said as much as beating the four-time champions for the first time since the 2014 playoffs.

Coach Bill Laimbeer wasn’t in the mood to organize a parade in celebration of the 85-77 win–part of a first-ever, four-game win streak for the Aces. But the veteran coach liked what he saw.

“We’re getting better. No question about that. We’re playing hard every game. We have some horses that we can go to. Now we have to get more pieces, and our bench players to be a little bit more consistent, and I think we’re making good progress,” Laimbeer said.

Kayla McBride led the Aces with 24 points, but McBride was just one of five Aces to score in double figures. While the Aces’ stars–McBride, Kelsey Plum and rookie, No. 1 overall pick A’ja Wilson–led the way, they had plenty of help. Front court reserve Carolyn Swords played 28 minutes off the bench, leading the committee that put the clamps on 6’6″ Sylvia Fowles. And Tamera Young converted consecutive baskets that gave the Aces their biggest lead, 72-64 with 8:58 remaining.

“To beat a great team like Minnesota you have to have everybody kind of involved,” McBride said. “It’s not just going to be one or two players that can beat them because they are so good and experienced. I thought it was a great win for us, especially on the road.”

After starting the season 1-7, the Stars have won nine of 14. The Aces are in the playoff hunt at 10-12 with their eyes focused on the Lynx (12-9), the team currently occupying the sixth and final playoff spot. In between the Lynx and Aces, seventh-place Dallas and eight-place Atlanta will have to be reckoned with as well. But on Friday, the Aces dealt with the Lynx, a team that had beaten them in 19 of the previous 20 meetings dating back to their days in San Antonio.

“I’ve been a part of those,” McBride said of the 19 losses. “Coach did mention that. The only win that we had I think was in the playoffs my rookie year we won like one of them in a three-game series.”

The Lynx fell to 6-4 at home, uncharacteristic for a team that won 103 of 119 at the Target Center between 2011 and 2017, the period of their four WNBA titles. Are they older and losing effectiveness? Sure, seven of the 12 players on their roster are over 30, including rookie Endy Miyem from France. But the Lynx fight the aging process vigorously, and they did so again on Friday. 36-year old Lindsay Whalen looked like fine wine in posting a team-best 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. And 34-year old Simone Augustus followed suit with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

But in key stretches, the Lynx offense appeared stagnant. Minnesota also failed to get Fowles untracked (2-of-9 shooting, 7 points), and got beat on the glass (Aces’ 42-36 rebounding advantage). But most significantly, leading scorer Maya Moore struggled, missing 10 of her 15 shot attempts.

“Vegas was good. For sure, they were really good on offense. They converted right at us (off) makes and misses. Their complete identity, they got to play to it.  On both sides of it. Their complete identity, and that’s disappointing,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve admitted.

The Aces host the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday afternoon at 3 pm PDT at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Aces extend winning streak to three games with 98-74 win over Sky

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Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

Four Aces scored in double digits as Las Vegas beat the Sky in Chicago 98-74.

Kayla McBride led the Aces with 18 points, including going 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while Tamera Young added 16 points.

Rookie A’ja Wilson scored her second lowest point total of the season with 12 points, going just 4-for-12 from the field.

Las Vegas trailed Chicago 21-17 after the first quarter, but the Aces broke the game open by outscoring the Sky 32-15 in the second quarter.

With the win, the Aces improved to 9-12 on the season and moved to within 1.5 games of the 8th place Atlanta Dream.

The Aces will next travel to Minnesota to face the Lynx on Friday and then return home on Sunday to host the Los Angeles Sparks at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • Las Vegas shot 47.9% from the field, while holding Chicago to just 38%
  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (12) for the 21st straight game.
  • Wilson was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week
  • The Aces have now won four of their last five games.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces overcome 11-point deficit in the 4th quarter to beat Connecticut 94-90

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20180707 - A'ja Wilson 01

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

Throughout the season, head coach Bill Laimbeer has characterized his team as young, but his team is now showing signs of resiliency late in games.

The Aces rolled off 12 straight points late in the fourth quarter to beat the Connecticut Sun 94-90 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“The character of our team is still growing,” said Laimbeer.  “We’re a work in progress but I think this win today goes a long way to helping us build our character. We were down but we did not hang our heads. That’s the one thing that we did not do. We came out in the fourth quarter with the determination to win the game.”

Rookie A’ja Wilson registered her eighth double-double of the season, scoring 34 points and pulling down 14 rebounds, while Kayla McBride scored 27.

Key contributions also came from guard Kelsey Plum with 10 assists and center JiSu Park with nine rebounds.

“I was just really proud of how we fought back,” said McBride.  “It was a team effort and that’s how you have to win and that’s how you have to play games.”

“We really held our composure,” said Wilson on their fourth quarter comeback.  “We know basketball is a game of runs and we know that Connecticut keeps on going. Like coach says, they’re a front-running team. When they get going, we have to just stay within ourselves and keep attacking them in any way. Just control what we can control and I think we did a great job of doing that.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 8-12 on the season, matching the total number of wins of last year’s team, the San Antonio Stars, who went 8-26.

“We are only a game and a half out of a playoff spot right now and we did match last year’s win total today and we have 14 more to go.  I call that progress.”

The Aces trail the Atlanta Dream by 1.5 games for the eighth spot in the WNBA standings, as the top eight teams in the league make the playoffs.

The Aces will next play the Sky on Tuesday in Chicago.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (34) for the 20th straight game.
  • The Aces have now won two straight games and three of their last four.
  • 3,363 Aces fans were in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Wilson, McBride combine for 52 in 84-80 win over Chicago

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20180705 - A'ja Wilson - Kayla McBride 01

Just over halfway through their inaugural season, the Aces have found a solid offensive 1-2 punch.

Kayla McBride scored 28 points while rookie A’ja Wilson dropped 24 in an 84-80 win over the Chicago Sky at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Thursday night.

“We rode our two big horses with McBride and Wilson, but scratched out a win,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We got big rebounds when we had to and we’ll take the home win.”

Laimbeer believes that the two have elevated their play as the season progressed.

They (Wilson and McBride) are counted on to do the bulk of our scoring and everybody in the league knows it,” said Laimbeer. “Teams are trying to set defenses to stop them but they’re just playing at all-star caliber right now.”

Wilson and McBride have established a chemistry together that is now showing on the court.

“We work well off each other and they’re double-teaming if they’re trapping in the post,” said Wilson. “I know that I can trust the fact that I can kick it out to her and she’ll knock down the open shot. I think she feels the same way.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 7-12 on the season and moved into ninth place in the WNBA standings.

“I thought that was a very important win for us, we have an outside chance at a playoff berth down the road if we continue to be competitive and win games,” said Laimbeer.  “They’re growing and they’re hungry and they want that playoff chance, so I told them they had to win this game and they did.”

The Aces trail the Atlanta Dream by 2.5 games and the Dallas Wings by three games, as the top eight teams in the league make the playoffs.

The Aces will next play the Connecticut Sun on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (24) for the 19th straight game.
  • Carolyn Swords pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds.
  • Moriah Jefferson played her first game at home, coming off a knee injury.
  • 4,699 Aces fans were in attendance.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces lose second game of home and home to Sparks 87-71

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Photo credit: Richard Brian, Las Vegas Review-Journal

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces trialed the entire game falling to the Los Angeles Sparks 87-71 at Staples Center on Sunday.

Tamera Young led the Aces with 16 points, while dishing eight assists and pulling down five rebounds.

Four Aces scored in double digits, including A’ja Wilson, who scored 10 points, but was limited in playing time due to foul trouble.

The Aces beat the Sparks 94-78 on Friday in Las Vegas as Wilson scored 29 points in that game.

Guard Moriah Jefferson played in her first game of the season coming off a knee injury, but was held scoreless in a little over 11 minutes of play.

With the loss, the Aces dropped to 6-12 on the season.

The Aces will next return home on Thursday to face the Chicago Sky (6-10) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum