Tag: Aces

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces saw an eight point lead dwindle down to two with 4:15 remaining, but went on a 10-5 run to beat the Dallas Wings 85-78 at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.

“If we take care of business during the course of the game, it never would have come down to having to make some shots down the stretch,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Liz Cambage added 14.

“This is a big win,” said Wilson. “Dallas is coming off a win streak and they made us work, but we still need to do better.”

After beating the Washington Mystics back on Saturday, June 5^th, the Aces had seven days to recuperate from a three game road trip.

“We had been on a long road trip and then had eight days off, so it was good to get a win and continue to get better,” said guard Kelsey Plum.

The Aces got 13 points off the bench from Plum.

With the win, the Aces improved to 8-3 heading into back to back home games against the New York Liberty starting on Tuesday.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 46.9% from the field.
• Las Vegas turned the ball over 16 times.
• Forward Satou Sabally led the Wings with 24 points.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL

By Shawn McCullough

The Washington Mystics rolled off a 16-6 run in the last four minutes, but the Aces held on for a 96-93 win in Washington, D.C.

“It was a tough one today,” said center Liz Cambage. “We just stayed together and got it done.”

With the game tied with one minute left in the game, A’ja Wilson pulled down a huge offensive rebound and hit the shot to put the Aces in front for good.

“We got good looks down the stretch, but we made the plays when we had to to end the game,” said Laimbeer.

Wilson went just 3 for 14 from the field for 15 points, but three other players scored 20 or more points including Liz Cambage with 24.

The Aces finished off a tiring three game road trip, going 2-1 in that stretch.

“Solid win for us on the road,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We are a tired basketball team right now, but we gutted this one out.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 7-3 heading into a week-long break before facing the Dallas Wings at home on Sunday, June 13^th.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 43.4% from the field.
• The Aces out-rebounded the Mystics, 44-35.
• A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage combined for 26 total rebounds.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces bounced back from a tough loss in Connecticut with a 94-82 win over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.

“We won the game, that’s a positive,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We made some mistakes in this game and we didn’t play smart.  Overall, we have to play smarter.”

The Aces outscored the Liberty 14-3 in the last four minutes of the game.

“We started playing Aces basketball,” said Laimbeer. “Getting rebounds was the key to the last four minutes.”

The Aces were led by forward A’ja Wilson who scored 30 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

“We are still trying to find our identity,” said Wilson. “We let them back into the game, but we grinded.”

Jackie young added 16 points, while Chelsea Gray scored 11 and dished out nine assists.

“Proud of this team and their fight,” said Gray. “We just needed to stick to our game plan and get locked in.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 6-3 on the season heading into their next game on Saturday in Washington against the Mystics.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 45.7% from the field, while holding the Liberty to 40.7%.
• Rebounding in the game was tied 38-38.
• Guard Kelsey Plum returned from the U.S. Women’s 3×3 basketball team Olympic qualifiers and came off the bench to score four points.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces couldn’t hold on late as the Sun beat Las Vegas, 74-67, in Connecticut.

“We are not a halfcourt, slugfest team and that is the second game that we played their [Sun] game,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “The tempo was the biggest problem against Connecticut.”

Las Vegas led by two with 7:33 left, but was outscored 19-11 to finish the game.

“We walked the ball up the floor, we turned it over,” said Laimbeer on the final stretch of the game.   “We could have won this game if we played our game.”

The Aces were led by a dominating performance inside by center Liz Cambage, who scored 28 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

“I’m getting more shots and it normally equals more points,” said Cambage. “Just bang inside and go right against them.”

A’ja Wilson scored 14 points, while Chelsea Gray added 10.

“We have to understand who we are and play that same way every single game,” said Wilson.

The Sun improved to 7-2 and sit in second place in the WNBA standings.

With the loss, the Aces fell to 5-3 on the season heading into their next game on Thursday in New York against the Liberty.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 43.8% from the field.
• The loss snapped an Aces three game winning streak.
• Guard Kelsey Plum will return from the U.S. Women’s 3×3 basketball team Olympic qualifiers on Thursday.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL
Kelsey Plum—Out, USA Basketball 3×3

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces took care of business for a second straight game against the Indiana Fever with a 101-78 win at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.

“We are making great progress offensively,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “We are going to score points, but the question is can we stop someone on defense consistently.”

Liz Cambage dropped a double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, while also blocking five shots.

“All I am focused on is rebounding and blocking shots,” said Cambage.

Dearica Hamby led the Aces with 22 points, while A’ja Wilson added 15.

“I was able to run,” said Hamby. “That gets me going and I think that gets the whole team going.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 3-0 against teams below .500.

“Indiana is a young team and they are trying to find their way,” said Laimbeer. “You need to win your home games and we took care of business.”

The Aces improved to 5-2 on the season heading into their next game on Tuesday in Connecticut against the Sun.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 56.7% from the field, while holding Indiana to 38.8%.
• Las Vegas has now won three straight games.
• Destiny Slocum returned to the lineup from concussion protocol.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL
Kelsey Plum—Out, USA Basketball 3×3

The Aces came out firing on all cylinders in a 113-77 blowout of the Indiana Fever at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.

“I thought we were efficient across the board, offensively and defensively,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “When we shoot 55%, we will be hard to beat.”

When the Aces signed three-time WNBA All-Star Chelsea Gray back in February, they knew that they were getting a forward who could take over a game.

Gray had a double-double, scoring 19 points and dishing out 12 assists.

“I think Chelsea is showing why we got her and she is fun to watch,” said Laimbeer.

“It feels good when we are flowing,” said Gray. “Our execution was pretty good tonight.”

The 2020 WNBA MVP, A’ja Wilson, dropped 23 points, while Dearica Hamby came off the bench to lead the team with 25.

“We have a target on our back and at the end of the day we need to focus on us, but yea, it was a good win,” said Wilson.

The Aces have now won two straight games and improved to 4-2 on the season heading into their next game on Sunday at home in a re-match against the Fever.

“They [Indiana] will make some adjustments and it will be a dogfight in our next game,” said Laimbeer. “It’s going to be a completely different game come Sunday.”

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 55.1% from the field, while holding Indiana to 39.4%.
• The Fever’s only lead of the game was at 2-0 in the first quarter.
• The Aces only had eight players dressed for the game.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Angel McCoughtry—Out, right ACL
Kelsey Plum—Out, USA Basketball 3×3
Destiny Slocum—Out, concussion protocols

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By Shawn McCullough

The Aces bounced backed from a home loss to Los Angeles with an 85-79 win over the Mercury in Phoenix.

“Overall, it was a very solid team effort,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “A good win all the way around.”

Guard Jackie Young had a career high 27 points, going 10 for 15 from the field.

“I am glad that Jackie had a good day,” said Laimbeer. “She came back today with a vengeance with a career high for her.”

“She is consistent and she is getting better and better every game,” said forward A’ja Wilson about Young.

Wilson added 16 points along with nine rebounds, while Chelsea Gray scored 15.

“We just executed,” said Wilson. “We understood that this would be a dogfight.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 3-2 on the season heading into their next game on Friday at home against the Indiana Fever.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 44% from the field.
• Las Vegas pulled down 11 offensive rebounds.
• The Aces got only eight points off the bench.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

By Shawn McCullough

After a strong performance on Friday against Los Angeles, the Aces came out flat and lost to the Connecticut Sun, 72-65, at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.

“We had players that didn’t get on track,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “Our energy level just wasn’t there.”

“We lacked energy and some lacked effort too,” said A’ja Wilson.

The Aces shot just 21.4% from the field in the first quarter, scoring just eight points. 

Las Vegas also wasn’t able to take care of the ball, committing 14 turnovers.

“Some of our turnovers, they were just throwing the ball away,” said Laimbeer.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 14 points, while Chelsea Gray added 13.

“I’m human, I am going to miss shots,” said Wilson after shooting 4 for 13 from the field. “I just need to produce in other ways.”

With the loss, the Aces fell to 2-2 on the season and will next play the Mercury in Phoenix on Wednesday, before returning back home on Friday to face the Indiana Fever.


Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot just 40.7% from the field.
• Las Vegas was out-rebounded by the Sun, 44-26.
• Forward Jackie Young was just 2 for 9 from the field for four points.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces played their first game of the season in Las Vegas, beating the Los Angeles Sparks 97-69 at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay.

Las Vegas got balance scoring from its starting lineup with five players in double digits, led by former Sparks guard Chelsea Gray with 18 points.

“Once we got on a court, it’s team against team,” said Gray.  “As a competitor, you want to win against the team that you left.”

Center Liz Cambage record a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Dearica Hamby each added 17 points.

“That’s who we are,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer on the team’s balance scoring. “We have so many weapons offensively.   You can’t set your defense for any one player.”

In her third season in the WNBA, Jackie Young continues to improve her game.

“I am just trying to do whatever I can to help my team win,” said Young.

In the first three games of the season, A’ja Wilson is averaging 19.7 points per game.

“Three games in, I am please of where we are so far, but we still have a long ways to go,” said Wilson.

With the win, the Aces improved to 2-1 on the season heading into their next game on Sunday against the Connecticut Sun at Mandalay Bay.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• The Aces shot 53.2% from the field, while holding Los Angeles to just 36.5%.
• Las Vegas out-rebounded the Sparks 44-28.
• Guard Kelsey Plum missed her first of likely six games while away playing for USA Basketball’s 3 on 3 team.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 3 Riquna Williams
C – 8 Liz Cambage
G – 0 Jackie Young
G – 12 Chelsea Gray