Tag: Aces

Aces beat Cambage’s former team, 86-68

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20190614 - Liz Cambage 01

Photo credit: Sports Radio Service/Shawn McCullough

By Shawn McCullough

Liz Cambage had June, 22, 2019 circled in red on her calendar for over a month now.

Cambage helped the Aces beat her former team, the Dallas Wings, 86-68 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

After the Aces acquired Cambage in May, she spoke openly about her struggles with her time with the Tulsa Shock, who later became the Dallas Wings.

“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 back in May.

But Cambage is in a better place now in Las Vegas.

Cambage scored 11 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Dearica Hamby came off the bench and scored a career high 27 points.

“Most importantly, I am just glad we got the win,” said Hamby. “It was a team effort and every night I come out and play as hard as I can and give it everything I got, so I’m glad it was rewarded tonight.”

Forward A’ja Wilson scored 20 points going 9 for 12 from the field.

“This is the type of team that we need to be at all times,” said Wilson.  “We didn’t really show that against Washington, so we knew had to go back to the drawing board and get an understanding of where people need to be on time and just communicate out there. That’s what we did.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 5-4 on the season heading into a matchup against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces bench contributed with 37 points.
  • Las Vegas had 31 assists in the game compared to Dallas’ 13.
  • The Aces shot 53% from the field.
  • Former Aces guard Moriah Jefferson, who was part of the Liz Cambage trade, did not play due to being on the temporarily suspended list.

Game Starters:

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

Aces fall at home against Washington, 95-72

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20190614 - A'ja Wilson 06

Photo credit: Sports Radio Service/Shawn McCullough

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces’two-game winning streak came to an end in a 95-72 loss to the Washington Mystics at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 28 points while shooting 11 for 14 from the field.

Head coach Bill Laimbeer still understands that although he has a very talented team, they are also very inexperienced.

“What we saw tonight was an experienced basketball team kick the crap out of an inexperienced basketball team,” said Laimbeer. “I thought that Washington played very well. They understood this was a big game. They came into our building and just beat us up left and right.”

“They don’t make mistakes and don’t turn the ball over,” said Wilson of the Mystics.  “That’s the type of team that we can be and that’s what we need to be.  Of course they’re more experienced, of course they’ve been in these situations before, but at the end of the day that’s something that we need to buckle down.”

Liz Cambage score 14 and pulled down six rebounds.

“I have a very powerful energy,” said Cambage. “I try to use that to lift others up and get ready for the game, but right now I need to bring a bit more out of myself and the team at the moment.”

With the loss, the Aces fell to 4-4 on the season heading into a matchup against Cambage’s former team, the Dallas Wings, on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com


Game Notes:

  • Other than Wilson and Cambage, no other Aces player scored in double figures.
  • Kelsey Plum went 0 for 8 from the field, including 0-4 from three point range.
  • The Aces pulled to within six points in the 3rd quarter, but couldn’t get any closer after that.


Game Starters:

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

Aces rally back to beat Lynx 80-75

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Aces

Photo credit: highposthoops.com

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces took their first lead of the game with 2:01 remaining in the game and held on to beat the Minnesota Lynx 80-75 in Minneapolis.

Kayla McBride led the Aces with 22 points while Kelsey Plum added 21, going 5 for 8 from three-point range.

Liz Cambage scored 14 points with nine rebounds and A’ja Wilson dropped 13.

The Aces have now won two straight games and improved to 4-3 on the season heading home to face the Washington Mystics on Thursday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces bench only scored 10 points.
  • The Aces shot 40.7% from the field.
  • The Aces scored just 11 points in the first quarter.

Game Starters:

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

Aces show team potential, rout Liberty 100-65

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20190614 - Liz Cambage 06

Photo credit: Sports Radio Service/Shawn McCullough

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces are favored to win the WNBA Championship and they finally showed why.

Las Vegas blew out the New York Liberty 100-65 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“Our starters showed what they can do,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “I got lots of people some playing time and got some confidence boosting going on right now with our ball club.”

Four Aces scored in double digits led by guard Kelsey Plum with 19 points.  Kayla McBride scored 18 and A’ja Wilson added 14.

“We really kind of focused on what we need to get done,” said Wilson.  “We brought a lot more energy and a different attitude.”

Liz Cambage scored in double digits for her fifth straight game.

“Liz set the tone for us in the first few minutes of the game,” said Laimbeer of Cambage.  “Just said give me the ball, I’m putting it in the basket, no one can guard me.”

“Once we got our chemistry going, we are unstoppable.  No one can match that,” said Cambage.  “It’s all about bringing the energy from the get go and continuing to play like that.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 3-3 on the season and will next travel to Minnesota to face the Lynx on Sunday.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com 

Game Notes:

  • It was the 4th time since the Aces started playing in Las Vegas that they scored 100 or more points. They are 2-2 in those four games.
  • The Aces out rebounded the Liberty 46-21.
  • The Aces shot 54.1% from the field.
  • NBA stars LeBron James, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook were in attendance.

Game Starters:

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

Aces offense struggles in 88-78 loss to Liberty

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Aces

Photo credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces went from shooting over 51% from the field on Friday to just 35.4% today.

The New York Liberty snapped a 17 game losing streak with an 88-78 win over the Aces in White Plains, NY.

Kayla McBride led the Aces with 25 points including two from 3-point range, while Liz Cambage dropped 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Cambage and A’ja Wilson combined to shoot just 7-24 (29.2%) from the field.

Wilson’s 37 straight games of scoring in double figures to start her career came to an end as she scored only five points.

With the loss, the Aces fell to 2-3 on the season heading home to play the New York Liberty again, this time at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • Liz Cambage played a season high 24 minutes and 33 seconds, with her minutes restriction increasing per game.
  • The Aces only led in the game once.
  • Only 1,447 fans were in attendance.

Game Starters:

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

Aces blow out Dream, 92-69

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Aces

Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

In the Aces last loss to Connecticut, head coach Bill Laimbeer didn’t see effort from his starters. He got it tonight.

The Aces never trailed to the Dream in the game in a 92-69 win at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta.

Six Aces scored in double digits including Liz Cambage, who led the team with 15 points and added seven rebounds.  Cambage was still on a minute restriction, playing just over 19 minutes.

A’ja Wilson added 11 points, while Kayla McBride went 3 for 4 from the three-point line, scoring 13.

With the win, the Aces improved to 2-2 on the season heading into a game in New York against the Liberty on Sunday.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces shot 51.3% from the field, while Atlanta shot just 33.3%.
  • The Aces committed 21 turnovers now in back-to-back games.
  • Former Aces forward Nia Coffey scored 11 points for the Dream.
  • Only 2,630 fans were in attendance.

Game Starters:

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

Aces lose second straight game, 80-74

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20190602 - A'ja Wilson 02

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough (Sports Radio Service)

By Shawn McCullough

Head coach Bill Laimbeer wasn’t very happy with the effort from his starters.

The Aces committed 21 turnovers in an 80-74 loss to the Connecticut Sun at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“We were lazy and we were not mentally strong at all,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “As a basketball team, you have to acquire it, you have to learn it, you have to earn it. We don’t have it right now. Which is not disturbing, it’s just fact. This is what it is right now.”

Laimbeer stressed that he was getting more energy from his unit off the bench over his starting unit.

“Our starters have no energy,” said Laimbeer. “They go out there and they just go through the motions.  I can’t find one person in the starting unit to go out and give me that energy, so I got to make a change somehow.”

“It’s very upsetting to see it and hear your coach say that,” said A’ja Wilson. “We just got to really back in as a team and get mentally tough, mentally together and just keep pushing through.”

Wilson led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds, while center Liz Cambage came off the bench and added 14.

“It comes from everyone, we all got to bring the energy to lift each other up,” said Cambage. “Even when you are tired, you need to just keep the energy going and that’s something that we need to work on.”

With the loss, Las Vegas fell to 1-2 on the season.

The Aces will next travel to Atlanta on Thursday to face the Dream before traveling to New York to face the Liberty.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces shot 43.8% from the field.
  • The 21 turnovers where the most since July 1, 2018 at Los Angeles.
  • Only 2,747 fans were in attendance, compared to 7,249 at the season opener.

Game Starters:

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

The Liz Cambage era in Las Vegas began in 86-84 loss

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IMG_0221

Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

In a back and forth game, the Aces had their chance late in the game to force overtime.

A’ja Wilson missed two jump shots in the paint in the final seconds of the game as the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Las Vegas Aces 86-84 at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Wilson finished the game with 11 points, going just 4 for 19 from the field, while pulling down nine rebounds. Kayla McBride added 15.

Center Liz Cambage made her Aces debut, playing almost 14 minutes while scoring 13 points.

The Aces struggled from the field shooting just 39.5%, while the Mercury hit 50.8% of their shots.

With the loss, the Aces fell to 1-1 on the season heading into a home game on Sunday against the Connecticut Sun.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson has now scored 10 points or more in all 35 games in her WNBA career.
  • The Aces got 38 points off the bench, while Phoenix only scored two bench points.
  • The game saw eight lead changes with four ties.
  • 14,090 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 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