Tag: Las Vegas Aces

Aces roll over Storm, 79-63

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By Shawn McCullough

The Aces got a big game from forward A’ja Wilson in a 79-63 win over the Storm in Seattle.

“We are locked in,” said Wilson. “I love my teammates and I love the feeling in that locker room.”

Wilson registered her 14th double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.

“Rusty game for us shooting-wise, but we buckled down and our defense won us the game,” said head coach Becky Hammon.

Jackie Young contributed with 22 points, while Kelsey Plum added 20.

“I was just trying to get to the paint,” said Plum.

The Aces will most likely be without star center Candace Parker for a long time after suffering an ankle injury before the All-Star Break.

“We miss Candace pushing the ball up the court and her communication and IQ, but we have to step up,” said Wilson.

With the win, the Aces improved to 20-2 on the season heading into their next game in Minnesota on Saturday against the Lynx.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot just 43.9% from the field.
Las Vegas went seven for 18 from three-point range.
The Aces out-rebounded the Storm, 40-33.

Game Starters:

C – 41 Kiah Stokes
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Riquna Williams, Out, Lower Back
Candace Parker, Out, Ankle

Aces dominate Sparks, 97-78

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By Shawn McCullough

The Aces rolled into the All-Star Break with a commanding 97-78 win over the Sparks in Los Angeles.

“Good way to go into the Break,” said head coach Becky Hammon. “We came out really good in the first half and imposed our will on both ends of the court.”

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 25 points and 12 rebounds, with 23 coming in the first half.

“Our mindset and mental approach every game is locked in,” said Wilson. “We come with so much juice.”

Kelsey Plum scored 21 points including two three-pointers, while guard Chelsea Gray added 16.

With the win, the Aces improved to 19-2 on the season heading into the All-Star Break.

“If we were 2-19, I would say that we are the best team in the league,” said Wilson. “We don’t worry about the record and just compete at a high level.”

The 2023 WNBA All-Star Game will be held in Las Vegas, being the third time since 2019 that the All-Star Game will be held in Sin City.

“It’s a big part of growing the game,” Wilson said about the All-Star Game being in Las Vegas. “Vegas puts the game in the spotlight.”

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot 54.4% from the field.
Las Vegas went nine for 22 from three-point range.
The Sparks won the rebounding battle, 36-34.

Game Starters:

C – 3 Candace Parker
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 0 Jackie Young
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Riquna Williams, Out, Lower Back

Aces Dismiss Mercury 98-72

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Las Vegas Aces Chelsea Gray (12) gets the player of the game against the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Tue Jul 11, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Aces Dismiss Mercury 98-72

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Las Vegas Aces (18-2) took on the Phoenix Mercury (4-15) in front of their home crowd at Michelob ULTRA Arena the Aces rolled on the Mercury 98-72.

The first quarter was a close one with the Aces leading after the first ten minutes 26- 22. The Mercury were making their presence known but could they keep it up against the power house Aces?

We got our answer in the second quarter. Las Vegas put a real beat-down on Phoenix winning the quarter 26-12. The Aces led at the half 52-34. The Mercury could not stop the Aces offensively or defensively. Las Vegas had really cleaned up the turnovers and breezed through the first half.

After three quarters the Aces continued to extend their lead winning the third 32-23. They had a 84-57 lead after three quarters.

The Mercury did win the fourth quarter in a low scoring affair 15-14 but they were so far behind the eight ball that it was an exercise in futility. The final was 98-72 and the Aces had their eighteenth win of the season steamrolling yet another team.

Jackie Young had the high for the Aces with 23 points followed by Chelsea Gray 21 points and A’Ja Wilson with 20 points. Las Vegas had great ball protection in this game with only four turnovers as they coasted to another victory. They had led at one point in the second half by 36 points. They had this game well in hand from pretty much start to finish.

Wednesday the Aces will take on the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Aces Steamroll Lynx 113-89; 10th win in 11 games for Vegas

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Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces is ready for that top scoring cigar after doing most of the heavy lifting against the Minnesota Lynx leading with 40 points in Minnesota on Sun Jul 9, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Aces Steamroll Lynx 113-89

By Barbara Mason

Sunday night the Las Vegas Aces (17-2) steamrolled the Minnesota Lynx (9-10) with ball protection front and foremost in their mind and came away with a 113-89 win. The Aces were favored in this game but they were against the Dallas Wings as well and lost that game Friday night by two points. This season the Aces have beaten their opponent by an average of 20 points but that did not even come close to happening in their last game with Dallas.

It was a remarkable turnaround from the Aces last game winning every quarter in this game.

After the first ten minutes of play, the Aces had built a 28-19 lead and they did not let their foot off the pedal for the entire game. They won the second quarter 26-23 and had a half time lead of 54-42.

They went on to win the third quarter 26-19, the fourth quarter 33-28 and the game. They only had 12 turnovers in the game much improved from the 18 they had in their last game. Kelsey Plum had a career high 40 points which propelled Las Vegas to their 17th win of the season. She had an amazing 14 of 18 shooting. She was also six of nine from beyond the arc. This was their third win this season over the Lynx.

This win clinched a Western Conference berth in the Commissioner’s Cup. Right now the Aces are averaging 92 points a game which is a point behind the WNBA record. Las Vegas really righted the ship after their second loss of the season last Friday.

Besides the 40 points from Plum, Jackie Young had 17 points and was five of nine from downtown. Las Vegas made 17 shots from beyond the arc. A’Ja Wilson also had another double digit game with 15 points and ten rebounds.

Game notes: Friday night the Las Vegas Aces dropped their second game of the season in Dallas against the Wings in the final minute of the game 80-78. The Aces with 18 turnovers in the game did them no favors.

Tuesday night the Aces will take on Brittany Griner and the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Aces rally in second half, beat Wings, 89-82

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Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) waits for a rebound during the first half of a WNBA basketball game on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Sports Radio Service/Shawn McCullough)

By Shawn McCullough

LAS VEGAS–The Aces rallied from down nine points at halftime to beat the Dallas Wings, 89-82, at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“These are the best players in the world, so in the second half, we adjusted,” said guard Alysha Clark.

“We had a lot of turnovers in the second half,” said forward Jackie Young. “We just tightened up in the second half.”

Young led the Aces with 28 points, while guard Chelsea Gray added 20.

“Jackie and Chelsea really imposed their will,” said head coach Becky Hammon.

“I tried to be aggressive from the start and get downhill,” said Young.

A’ja Wilson dropped a double-double, scoring 22 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.

The win was the Aces ninth in a row and Las Vegas improved to a perfect 10-0 at home.

The Aces were without point guard Kelsey Plum, who was out with a non-Covid illness.

“[Kelsey] Plum is a huge deal to us,” said Hammon. “She does some things both offensively and defensively that our other players don’t do.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 16-1 on the season and will head to Dallas on Friday to face the Wings once again.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

The Aces shot 46.2% from the field.
Las Vegas went nine for 20 from three-point range.
With a short bench, the Aces got just two points off the bench.

Game Starters:

C – 3 Candace Parker
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 0 Jackie Young
G – 7 Alysha Clark
G – 12 Chelsea Gray

Aces Injury Report:

Riquna Williams, Out, Lower Back
Kelsey Plum, Out, non-Covid illness

Aces Punish Suns in Final Regular Season Game Between The Two Teams 102-84

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Las Vegas guard Chelsea Gray (12) is defended by the New York Liberty forward Betnijah Laney (44) and forward Breanna Stewart (30) at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sat Jul 1, 2023 (AP News photo)

Aces Punish Suns in Final Regular Season Game Between the Two Teams 102-84

By Barbara Mason

Saturday afternoon the Las Vegas Aces (15-1) took on the Connecticut Sun (12-5) at ULTA Michelob Arena looking for a little payback. The Sun are the only team that has managed to beat Las Vegas this season. Las Vegas extended their outstanding season record with a win 102-84. This was third and final game between these two teams in the regular season.

Despite not making a single three in the first ten minutes of play, the Aces held a ten point lead 30-20 at the end of the first quarter.

At the half the Aces held onto a 59-48 lead. The Sun got hot from beyond the arc hitting five in the first half while the Aces hit their first of the game in the final minute of play. As expected the Sun’s Dewanna Bonner finished the first half with 17 points. A’Ja Wilson had the high for the Aces with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Las Vegas continued to extend their lead going on a 11-0 run at 7:28 in the third quarter overwhelming the Sun 70-48. The Suns had four turnovers in the first half of the quarter. With under six left in the third the Aces had a 16-0 run and the Sun were helpless to do much about it.

Connecticut had more struggles in the game when Tiffany Hayes was ejected. She flashed the money sign insinuating cheating and that didn’t fly with the referees and she was out. The Suns cut the Aces lead to 84-65 with a mini 6-0 run to end the third quarter. It would turn out to be way too little way too late.

The Aces put this game away in the fourth quarter finishing off Connecticut 102-84. The run that Las Vegas is on right now is amazing and with the starters on the bench in the final minutes, everyone had a hand in this win. On top of it all, the bench is getting some precious minutes of play and some invaluable experience.

Las Vegas kept the Suns Dewanna Bonner under wraps allowing her only two points in the second half. She finished with 19 points. Every Las Vegas starter had double digits in this game with Kelsey Plum the high with 25 points. A’Ja Wilson had another outstanding game with 23 points and 13 rebounds. It’s just what she does and she does it week after week.

The Aces will not take the court until next Wednesday. They will meet the Dallas Wings with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Aces Dismiss Liberty 98-81

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New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot (22) shoots against the Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker (3) and guard Chelsea Gray, right, during first half action at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Thu Jun 29, 2023 in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Review Journal photo)

Aces Dismiss Liberty 98-81

By Barbara Mason

Thursday evening the Las Vegas Aces (14-1) welcomed the New York Liberty (10-4) in a battle of two powerhouses. This was another game played on the Aces home court at ULTA Michelob Arena. They have been home for the last three games and have two more games at home before heading out on the road. It has been a great home-stand for the team. They added another win their 14th game with a 98-81 victory on Thursday.

The Aces took the first quarter leading 28-22 with Kelsey Plum leading the charge. Las Vegas took their largest lead of the game in the second quarter 37-28 at 5:54. At halftime, the Aces continued to hold the lead but the Liberty had made up some ground after trailing by as much as thirteen points. New York had cut the Aces lead to 49-42.

The Aces were having great success from beyond the arc shooting at 50% as well as 60% from the field. Plum finished the half with 15 points. The Liberty kept chipping away at the Las Vegas lead with Breanna Stewart orchestrating the rally.

As the Aces have seen all season, Las Vegas is a second half team putting games away in the third and fourth quarters. The third quarter of this game was no exception. Las Vegas took a 20 point lead after three, 76-56. Every starting player for Las Vegas had double digits with Plum the high with 16 points.

With 8:22 left in the fourth quarter the Aces had taken a 25 point lead. A desperate team takes desperate shots and such was the case for the Liberty. New York could not get those shots to drop. With 2:28 left on the clock, the starters for Las Vegas sat while their bench took this game home.

The bottom line is that the Aces excel on every level and the Liberty could not keep up with them. They were simply outplayed by Las Vegas. The Liberty are a very good team with a very good record but few teams can handle the Aces if any. Las Vegas has been beating teams by an average of 20 points per game.

Saturday afternoon the Aces will meet the only team that has beaten them this season, the Connecticut Sun. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM and promises to be a battle from start to finish.

Aces Challenged By Fever; Las Vegas Winning in Final Minutes 88-80

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Las Vegas Aces Center Aja Wilson (22) is thrilled as the Aces pick up their 13th win of the season against the Indiana Fever at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Mon Jun 26, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Aces Challenged By Fever; Las Vegas Winning in Final Minutes 88-80

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Las Vegas Aces (13-1) met the Indiana Fever (5-9) for a second consecutive game. The Aces battled with the Fever and came away with the win 88-80.

The Aces got a slow start in the first quarter and after the first ten minutes of play trailed 20-23. The second quarter was a war of wills with the Aces winning it by the score of 28-26. At the half, Las Vegas trailed by a single point 49-48. This was not the start that Head Coach Becky Hammon had envisioned. As the Aces have seen in past games, the Aces had put games away in the second half.

Las Vegas got going in the third quarter winning it 21-15 and leading 69-64. The Aces would have the fourth quarter to extend their lead and finish this game. Kelsey Plum had a slow start in the first half but got going in the third quarter.

Las Vegas has been challenged all season in the first half of games. They seem to thrive under pressure and this pressure brings out the best in this team. The Aces had to pull out all the stops in this game. With under three minutes left in the fourth quarter Las Vegas was clinging to a one- point lead 77-76 as the two teams battled this one out in the final minutes.

They have seen some great fourth quarter finishes all season and this game was no exception. The Aces mounted a final push in the final 60 seconds of the game extending their lead to 88-80, which was the final, for their 13th win of the season.

Chelsea Gray had the game high with 25 points. Candace Parker had 12 rebounds and A’Ja Wilson had 24 points and ten rebounds for another double double. Kelsey Plum finished with 17 after a very slow first half. The Aces were pushed to the brink and had to battle back continually throughout this game.

Game notes: Las Vegas won their last game against the Fever 101-88 played last Saturday and tonight these two teams met again in a back-to-back.

The Aces had a back-to-back in early June against the Connecticut Sun splitting the games handing the Aces their first loss of the season. Tonight another back-to-back for Las Vegas.

Las Vegas will be back on the court for another home game at ULTRA Michelob Arena on Thursday night taking on the New York Liberty. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Aces Push Season Record to 12-1 With Win Over Fever 101-88

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The Las Vegas Aces center Candace Parker (3) on defense against the Indiana Fever’s center Aliyah Boston (7) at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sat Jun 24, 2023 (@LVAces photo)

Aces Push Season Record to 12-1 With Win Over Fever 101-88

By Barbara Mason

Saturday night the Las Vegas Aces (12-1) took on the Indiana Fever (5-8) at Michelob ULTRA Arena and extended an already amazing season record with a 101-88 win over the Fever.

Las Vegas took a 27-20 lead in the first quarter after a bit of a slow start. They had a seven point lead after the first quarter and won the second quarter by seven points 30-23. At the half they had control of this game leading 57-43.

The Fever made some nice adjustments in the third quarter and were able to match the Aces with both teams scoring 21 points in the quarter. Matching Las Vegas was not to going to help their cause because of the 14 point deficit at the half. After three quarters the Aces continued to lead 78-64.

With five minutes left in the game, the Fever made a bit of a move but Las Vegas always answered. The Fever have challenged the Aces this season and this game was no exception. With 3 1/2 minutes left in the game, the Fever was trailing by 11 points 93-82.

When these two teams meet it is always a battle. With two minutes left it was an eleven point game and the outcome was still not a given. The Aces stubbornly hung onto a 13 point lead and with 1:16 left in the game, the Aces would extend their season record to 12-1.

Every starter for the Aces had a double digit game. The high for the Fever was Nalyssa Smith with 26 points but they were just unable to handle Las Vegas.

A’Ja Wilson had yet another double-double with ten rebounds and 28 points. Kelsey Plum was right on her heels with 26 points. Jackie Young had a bit of a slow night but as we have seen time and time again, when one player has a bit of an off game, the rest of the team is there to pick them up. That is the depth of the Las Vegas Aces.

There will be no rest for the Fever. These two teams will meet again on Monday night in Las Vegas. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Aces Continue Rampage Across WNBA Dominating Mercury 99-79; Win is their 4th in a row

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A’ja Wilson (22) of the Las Vegas Aces takes some practice shots before the game against the Phoenix Mercury at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Wed Jun 21, 2023 (AP News photo)

Aces Continue Rampage Across WNBA Dominating Mercury 99-79

By Barbara Mason

Wednesday afternoon the Las Vegas Aces (11-1) traveled to Phoenix to take on the Mercury (2-9). Las Vegas extended their winning streak to five in a row with a 99-79 win over the Mercury. The Mercury played without standout Brittney Griner who remains sidelined with a hip injury.

The Aces got a solid start in the first quarter and got an early lead which they built on for the entire quarter. With less than a minute left in the quarter, the Aces went on a 10-0 run and led after the first ten minutes of the game 32-19.

The Mercury continued to hang in the game losing the second quarter 25-21. They were close in this quarter but it was the slow start in the opening quarter that hurt them.

The Aces led at the half 57-40. At halftime Las Vegas already had three players in double digits. Jackie Young had the high score for the Aces with 16 points. A’Ja Wilson had ten points and eight rebounds with Kelsey Plum rounding out the top three players in the first half with ten points.

The Mercury were far more aggressive in the second quarter and the Aces would have to get on top of that in the third quarter. The Aces were dominating in points in the paint in this game. This team is solid on so many levels.

They are number one in blocks, steals, rebounds and field goal percentage with 57% shooting an average of 91 points per game. The Aces continued to extend their lead as the third quarter came to an end. They had their highest lead of the game after three quarters 87-60.

The Mercury were faced with a monster challenge going into the fourth quarter. Phoenix made a small run but it was not enough to erase the 29 point lead that the Aces had in the game.

The high for the Mercury was Sug Sutton with 21 points. The Aces had three players with 20+ points. Jackie Young had the high with 23. A’Ja Wilson had another double double with 12 rebounds and twenty points.

Saturday evening Las Vegas will welcome the Indiana Fever to Michelob ULTA Arena. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 6:00 PM.