Tag: WNBA

Aces lose to streaking Mercury 92-80

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Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

Diana Taurasi and Brittany Griner combined for 52 points as the Phoenix Mercury won their eighth straight game beating the Las Vegas Aces 92-80 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sunday night.

A’ja Wilson scored 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while Kayla McBride scored 20.

Wilson, in just her 12th professional game, learned in-game from facing Griner and adjusted as the game progressed.

“I had to knock a couple down in front of her, then I could use my versatility,” said Wilson.

Griner did have very good things to say about Wilson.

“She’s an awesome player,” said Griner.  “I would be very shocked if she doesn’t get rookie of the year. She’s just going and scoring. I am excited to see how she grows.”

Getting two wins during their recent four game road trip gave the young Aces momentum.

“The road trip was really good for us to get wins on the road and we carried some momentum,” said McBride.  “We are still learning, still growing and trying to get better.”

“We are getting better,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer.  “We are still very young, but we are learning. I am seeing great progress.”

The Aces are now 3-9 on the season and next travel to Seattle to play the Storm on Tuesday.

The Aces next home game will be on Friday, June 22nd against 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 – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces fall to Wings 77-67 to complete four-game road trip

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By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces had no answers on how to stop Dallas center Liz Cambage.

Cambage scored 28 points and pulled down 18 rebounds as the Aces two game winning streak came to an end in a 77-67 loss to the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Arlington, TX.

The Aces were led by guard Kayla McBride who scored 22 points, while A’ja Wilson added 14.

The Aces struggled from the field shooting just 41.7% and were dominated on the boards 43-27.

With the loss, the Aces fall to 3-8 on the season and will now head home to play the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson has scored in double figures (14 tonight) in all 11 games so far this season.
  • Nia Coffey was activated coming off an ankle injury and scored three points off the bench in just under 10 minutes. Las Vegas native Sequoia Holmes was released to make room for Coffey.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces’ defense smothers Liberty in second straight win, 78-63

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Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer has been stressing focus on defense since the beginning of the season. Now it is paying off.

Las Vegas held the New York Liberty to just 63 points, 30 in the second half, in a 78-63 win at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY.

Dearica Hambry came off the bench and led the Aces in scoring, dropping 17 points, while Kayla McBride went 7 for 12 from the field for 16 points.

Rookie sensation A’ja Wilson scored 13 points, the lowest point total in her 10-game career.

Up 37-33 at halftime, the Aces went on a 22-7 run to start the second half.

In their three wins this season, the Aces have held their opponents to an average of 76 points per game.

With the win, the Aces improved to 3-7 on the season and are riding a two-game winning streak.

The Aces will complete their current four-game road trip on Friday in Dallas against the Wings.

The Aces next home game will be on Sunday, June 17th against the Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • A’ja Wilson has scored in double figures (13 tonight) in all 10 games so far this season.
  • Only 1,419 fans were in attendance for the game at the Westchester County Center.
  • Nia Coffey (ankle) and Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces win second game of the season, beat Fever 101-92 in OT

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Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces outscored the Indiana Fever 17-8 in overtime for their second win of the season in a 101-92 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with a career-high 35 points and also a career-high 13 rebounds.

Las Vegas led by eight points with a little over two minutes remaining in regulation, but the Fever rallied back to tie the game with 26.6 seconds left.

The Aces started the overtime period on an 8-0 run and never looked back.

The offense came alive against the Fever as the Aces shot 51.9% from the field, while holding Indiana to just 44.4%.

With the win, the Aces improved to 2-7 on the season.

The Aces will play their next two games on the road in New York against the Liberty and in Dallas against the Wings.

The Aces next home game will be on Sunday, June 17th against the Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces never trailed in the game after an A’ja Wilson jump shot with 2:39 left in the first quarter to give Las Vegas a 20-18 lead.
  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (35) for the ninth straight game and 30 or more points for the first time in her career.
  • Nia Coffey (ankle) and Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.
  • Yesterday was Nia Coffey’s 23rd birthday.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces fall to Mercury 72-66 in third straight loss

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Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces rallied in the second half but lost to the Phoenix Mercury 72-66 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Sunday.

Down 50-37 at halftime, the Aces went on a 31-14 run in the second half to cut the deficit to four points, but couldn’t get any close.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 17 points and added seven rebounds, while Kayla McBride scored 16 points, going 2-for-5 from the 3-point line.

Center JiSu Park pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds.

Mercury guard Diana Taurasi scored a game-high 25 points, including three from 3-point range.

With the loss, the Aces dropped to 1-7 on the season.

The Aces will play their next three games on the road in Indiana, New York and Dallas.

The Aces next home game will be on Sunday, June 17th against the Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The Aces’ only lead in the game was at 2-0 after two Kelsey Plum free throws.
  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (17) for the eighth straight game.
  • Las Vegas native Sequoia Holmes was resigned by the Aces on Friday and scored two points in 12 minutes. Holmes was released by the team back on May 16th.
  • Nia Coffey (ankle) and Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Offensive struggles contribute to Aces’ 87-83 loss to Atlanta

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Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

The Las Vegas Aces dropped their second straight game in an 87-83 loss to the Atlanta Dream at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Friday.

A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Kayla McBride added 13 points.

The Aces kept the game close until early in the third quarter when the Dream went on a 16-3 run to take control of the game.

Head Coach Bill Laimbeer has been stressing defense throughout the season, but sparking offense was the struggle for the Aces against the Dream.

“We gave up too many offensive rebounds to this team, but overall I think our defense was OK,” said Laimbeer.  “I think our offense is what hurt us today.”

“It was an offensive struggle,” said Wilson.  “I know for myself, my mind was all over the place, but it is something that I can work on and control.”

The Aces will next play four straight games on the road in Phoenix, Indiana, New York and Dallas.

“It’s going to be tough on the road, but if we have our mentality, it really doesn’t matter if we are home or away,” said Wilson.  “Our focus is there and we have to continue to push through.”

With the loss, the Aces dropped to 1-6 on the season.

“We have all of the pieces to the puzzle, it’s just a matter of coming together,” said Wilson.  “We are still young and we are still missing a few players, but we are learning.”

The Aces next home game will be on Sunday, June 17th against the Phoenix Mercury at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Notes:

  • The game was an early Friday matinee game scheduled at noon Pacific.
  • 5,913 Aces fans attended the game.
  • A’ja Wilson scored in double figures (20) for the seventh straight game.
  • Nia Coffey (ankle) and Moriah Jefferson (knee) did not play due to injury.

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 1 Tamera Young
C – 19 JiSu Park
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 10 Kelsey Plum

Aces fall 95-90 to Sky in Chicago

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Photo credit: Las Vegas Aces

By Shawn McCullough

The Aces led by as many as 15 points, but got hurt by foul trouble into the second half as the Chicago Sky beat the Aces 95-90 at Wintrust Arena on Sunday night.

Dearica Hamby scored a career high 24 points to lead the Aces, while A’ja Wilson dropped 22 points with five rebounds.

The Sky dominated the boards, outrebounding the Aces 40-27, including 12 offensive rebounds.

With the loss, the Aces dropped to 1-5 on the season.

The Aces will next return home to play the Atlanta Dream on Friday, June 8th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.  This will be the first meeting of the season between the Aces and the Dream.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Starters:
F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 12 Nia Coffey
C – 3 Kelsey Bone
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 15 Lindsay Allen

Aces win first game of the season; beat Mystics 85-73

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Photo credit: Shawn McCullough, Sports Radio Service

By Shawn McCullough

LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Aces won their first game in franchise history with an 85-73 victory over the Washington Mystics at the Mandalay Bay Event Center Friday night.

“This is very important that we get our first win,” said head coach Bill Laimbeer. “You want to get rid of the monkey as fast as possible in any sport. Overall, it was a very important win for us.”

It’s tough winning in this league, so for us to finally to get a win is exciting for us,” said forward A’ja Wilson. “I am glad that we got it at home so the fans can continue to come out and support us.”

Five different Aces scored in double digits including Wilson who had 26 points and 12 rebounds. Wilson went to the free throw line 18 times, making 14 shots.

“It can’t take just one or two people, it takes the team,” said Wilson.  “I’m super-duper excited to see that we are all getting the ball, everyone is kind of scoring and sharing the basketball.”

After giving up an average of 103 points in their last two games, the Aces held the Mystics to just 73 points. Prior to tonight’s game, the Mystics averaged 86.67 points per game.

“We really didn’t play defense well (the last two games) the way that we know that our system operates, so we needed to come out with a mindset and say that we weren’t going to let that happen again,” said Wilson.

With the win, the Aces improved to 1-4 on the season.

The Aces will next play the Sky in Chicago on Sunday, June 3rd.  This will be the first meeting of the season between the Aces and the Sky.

Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com

Game Starters:

F – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 12 Nia Coffey
C – 8 Carolyn Swords
G – 21 Kayla McBride
G – 15 Lindsay Allen