Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Aces fall at Connecticut in WNBA opener, 101-65

WNBA Team Las Vegas Aces Announced

Courtesy WNBA

Confetti falls from the ceiling as the WNBA’s new Las Vegas Aces name and logo are revealed at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017. Las Vegas’ first major pro basketball team will begin play in the spring.

The Las Vegas Aces aren’t technically an expansion team, but after finishing in last place in the WNBA’s Western Conference in each of the last three years (under the guise of the San Antonio Stars), it is a franchise building from the ground up. And that’s what the Aces looked like on Sunday, when they were soundly beaten by the Connecticut Sun, 101-65, in the season opener for both teams.

Tamera Young’s pull-up jumper 50 seconds into the contest got the Aces on the board for the first time in franchise history, and Las Vegas jumped out to a 14-5 lead with Young and forward Nia Coffey scoring six points apiece to fuel the run. That was pretty much the high point of the afternoon for Las Vegas’ newest professional squad.

A spate of Aces turnovers allowed Connecticut to quickly gain its footing, and the Sun pulled ahead 25-21 at the end of the first quarter. Las Vegas continued to struggle with ball security, and 10 first-half turnovers allowed Connecticut to pad its advantage and take a 49-37 lead into the break.

Connecticut opened the second half with a 16-6 run, and Las Vegas never got closer than 20 points the rest of the way.

Las Vegas made just 18-of-69 from the field (26.1 percent). On the heels of an 18-of-70 showing in the team's preseason loss to the Dallas Wings, head coach Bill Laimbeer pointed to offensive execution as an area which requires immediate improvement.

“[Connecticut is] a very good basketball team," Laimbeer said "We knew we were going into a hornet’s nest, and one thing we have exposed is a lack of shooters. Shooting 26 percent again for two games in a row is not going to cut it.”

A’ja Wilson, the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s WNBA draft, started at power forward in her pro debut. She missed her first two shots and finally got on the board midway through the first quarter when she picked up a loose ball under the basket and converted a layup. Wilson eventually finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a team-high 32 minutes. She made 3-of-14 shots from the field.

Laimbeer believes it will take some time for Wilson, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, to adjust to the pro game.

“I think she’s going to have to find her way," he said. "The players are bigger, faster, stronger. It’s not college basketball. The defenses are much more sophisticated, so what worked in college may not work necessarily in this league. She’ll figure it out, but she has to learn.”

The Aces were not at full strength in the opener, as the team played without three presumed starters; Second-year point guard Moriah Jefferson sat out with an injury, while scoring wings Kelsey Plum and Kayla McBride are still on the “temporarily suspended” list as they play out the conclusion of their European club seasons.

Without three of their top perimeter players, the Aces were clearly limited offensively. Las Vegas attempted just one shot from long distance in the first half — a desperation heave by Jaime Nared at the end of the first quarter that was easily blocked — and finished 1-of-7 from 3-point range as a team.

Laimbeer said Plum and McBride are expected to be back in time for Sunday's home opener against the Seattle Storm, but cautioned against thinking they will solve the team's shooting woes.

"We can’t make that as an excuse," Laimbeer said. "We have to keep playing basketball.”

Connecticut made 6 of its first 12 from 3-point range and finished 11-of-22 as a team from long distance. The Sun shot 47.4 percent from the field, led by Alex Bentley’s 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting.

Young led Las Vegas with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting, and Coffey chipped in 11 points and five rebounds.

The Aces will get another chance to notch their first win on Tuesday, when they travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Mystics.

Wilson, who compiled a 129-16 record at South Carolina over the last four years, tried to keep Sunday's loss in perspective. After the game, she said the Aces will need a short memory in order to bounce back at Washington.

“It is tough," Wilson said. "No. 1 players, you kind of go from being on top to now you have to rebuild and grow, especially with a franchise like the Aces. We’re brand new across the board, so we’re still not only getting a feel for one another, but the franchise as a whole. It’s work time for us, so we’re going to take this game and turn the page and grow from it because we have a game on Tuesday.”

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

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