Tag: WNBA

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

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

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

Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

There’s nothing better than coming home after playing five of the last six games on the road.

The Las Vegas Aces battled in a close game down to the end and pulled out an 88-78 win over the New York Liberty at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Friday night.

Las Vegas went on a 10-4 run with 2:31 remaining in regulation to secure the win.

“We won,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “But we didn’t play well.  We are getting better.  We would have lost this game six or seven games ago.”

“It’s always good to get a win at home,” said A’ja Wilson.  “It was tough.   There were times that we didn’t really come out with a lot of energy.”

Kayla McBride led the Aces with a season-high 27 points while Wilson scored 20 and pulled down 14 rebounds.

“I give Kayla McBride all the credit in the world for willing this victory for us,” said Laimbeer.  “She stood up and was the determining factor in this game.”

With the win, the Aces improved to 5-9 on the season.

“It’s definitely big for us,” said Wilson on the win. “Just the momentum going here at home will help us out.”

The Aces will next play three straight home games against three of the better teams in the WNBA: Minnesota, Dallas and Los Angeles.

“We have to continue to make a statement especially when we are at home,” said McBride. “We need to continue to have confidence and we are going to be really good.”

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

• A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (20) for the 14th straight game.
• The Aces held the Liberty to 37.5% shooting from the field.
• 5,478 Aces fans attended the game.
• The Vegas Golden Knights’ backup goaltender Malcolm Subban was in attendance
• Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 12 Nia Coffey
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces got their fourth win of the season in an 87-77 win over the Seattle Storm at KeyArena on Tuesday night.

The Aces out-rebounded the Storm 43-25 as A’ja Wilson pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds, while JiSu Park added 11 rebounds.

Wilson led the Aces in scoring with 25 points, while Seattle’s Breanna Stewart had a game-high 27 points.

Kayla McBride dropped 17 points, including three baskets from 3-point range, while Tamera Young came off the bench to add 17 points.

The Storm got to within four points with just under six minutes remaining in regulation, but the Aces went on an 11-2 run to seal the game.

With the win, the Aces improved to 4-9 on the season.

The Aces will next return home on Friday to face the New York Liberty at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 12 Nia Coffey
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum