Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Aces fall to Seattle in home opener, 105-98

Aces First Home Game

Yasmina Chavez

Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) grabs the rebound in the second half of their season home opener WNBA game against the Seattle Storm at the Mandalay Bay Event Center, Sunday, May 27, 2018. The Aces lost to the Seattle Storm 105-98.

Aces fall to Seattle in home opener

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) greets fans as she runs out to the court at the start of their season home opener WNBA game against the Seattle Storm at the Mandalay Bay Event Center, Sunday, May 27, 2018. The Aces lost to the Seattle Storm 105-98. Launch slideshow »

Las Vegas is in the pro sports business now, and the Las Vegas Aces only have to glance down the street to see how high the bar has been set.

Thanks to the Golden Knights’ galvanizing Stanley Cup run, the local fans know what a legit professional franchise is supposed to look like when done right. So even if the Aces can’t match the Knights’ magical first season in terms of wins and losses, they at least have to get everything else right on the organizational level.

The Aces dropped Sunday’s home opener, 105-98, to the Seattle Storm, but even though the city’s newest pro team is now 0-3 on the season, the good news is that the Aces look the part as a real pro team worth following.

After trailing 53-35 at the half, the Aces closed the gap to single digits midway through the fourth quarter. A’ja Wilson scored on a short hook to cut Seattle’s lead to 97-91 with 2:05 to play, and Nia Coffey buried a 3-pointer from the wing to make it 98-94 with 1:09 remaining.

After a Seattle 3-pointer, Wilson battled her way to the free-throw line and made a pair to bring Las Vegas within 101-96 with 23 second on the clock, but that was as close as the Aces would get. Seattle stars Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in the final 20 seconds to seal the game.

Despite the loss, it was the Aces’ best showing of the season so far. It helped that Las Vegas was working with a nearly-complete roster for the first time on the year. Key contributors Kayla McBride and Kelsey Plum suited up for the first time (they were inactive for the first two games while finishing their European club season), and both showed flashes.

McBride started and went for 21 points, while Plum played 10 minutes off the bench and chipped in four points and two assists. Maybe most importantly, McBride went 3-of-6 from 3-point range, making more triples in her first game than the Aces had combined in the first two contests without her.

"I thought we played very hard," head coach Bill Laimbeer said. "I think we're learning. We have a long way to go. We know we're not the best basketball team right now. Just added a couple players, but that's not an excuse. This league never stops. So the most important thing we can do as a young team is learn from our mistakes."

Wilson, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and the centerpiece of the team’s future, had the best game of her young career with 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting. She also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out three assists in 34 minutes.

The 4,467 spectators inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center got loud in the second half as the Aces made their run to get back into the game.

"Playing in front of this great crowd was something special," Wilson said. "This was definitely a pretty good home opener for us. Even though we didn't get the win, I think the energy and the atmosphere was there to have people keep coming back."

McBride, who has only been with the team for three days, played a team-high 37 minutes and spoke highly of the atmosphere inside the arena.

"I think our fans were really into it," McBride said. "That second half was unreal. I think we're still building our chemistry and our identity, but I think tonight was a good start and I think we fought for our fans and they kind of know who we are now."

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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