Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby (5) reacts after missing a shot in the final seconds of Game 4 of a WNBA playoff series against the Washington Mystics at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019.
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 | 9:25 p.m.
After the Aces beat up the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of their WNBA semifinal series, Aces center Liz Cambage challenged her frontcourt counterparts, telling them that if they can’t handle physical play down low they should get out of the post.
In Game 4, Washington did the latter.
Las Vegas dominated inside once again on Tuesday, but the Mystics made enough outside shots to counter the Aces’ inside advantage en route to a series-clinching 94-90 victory.
Cambage backed up her barb with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the Aces won the physical battle on the interior, outrebounding Washington 49-33 and outscoring the Mystics in the paint, 34-24. But Washington shot 30 3-pointers and made 13, and that was enough to eliminate Las Vegas.
Washington forward Elena Delle Donne took Cambage’s words to heart as she stepped outside and connected on 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Center Emma Meesseman did the same, knocking down 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, including a 3-of-3 showing in the fourth quarter to carry the Mystics across the finish line.
Delle Donne finished with 25 points, while Meesseman tallied 22.
The Aces started strong, racking up eight second-chance points to build a 26-17 lead heading into the second period. Washington chipped away from there, but Las Vegas still maintained a 68-67 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Meesseman then connected on 5-of-6 from the field over the final 10 minutes, and Washington hit 10-of-19 as a team to take a 93-90 lead with 12 seconds to play. Las Vegas had a chance to tie on its final possession, and Dearica Hamby managed to shake free for an open 3-point attempt from the right corner. But unlike the halfcourt heave that propelled the Aces past Chicago in the previous round of the playoffs, this time Hamby’s shot rimmed out.
Washington will now advance to face the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals, while the Aces will disperse for the offseason.
Head coach Bill Laimbeer said the Aces simply didn’t do a good enough job defending outside the post, especially late.
“I was a little disappointed in our defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter,” Laimbeer said. “When the game was being decided we made way too many mistakes. [The Mystics] get the same thing they got in Game 1 and Game 2, they got the open looks with nobody on them, and they made the shots.”
While Cambage came to play, two of the Aces’ other stars had quiet outings, as Kayla McBride scored eight points on 2-of-10 shooting and A’ja Wilson was held to just four points in 26 minutes. Kelsey Plum picked up some of the slack by scoring 17, and Dearica Hamby scored 18 off the bench.
A few takeaways from a promising season that came up short:
Cambage is committed
When rumors broke during the offseason that Las Vegas might acquire Cambage, Laimbeer said it would be a risky move due to the fact that Cambage seemingly wasn’t committed to playing in the WNBA. Cambage, a native of Australia, has made no secret of how taxing she finds life overseas, especially in her early years in the league, and that led to speculation that 2019 could be her final season in the states.
But after Tuesday’s game Cambage sounded positively thrilled to be part of the Aces organization, to the point where it’s probably safe to build around her going forward.
“It was a very interesting season, but definitely my favorite season I’ve ever had playing WNBA,” Cambage said. “This is the first time I’ve ever been sad that a season is over. Like, I’m not ready to go home. I love this team, I love my teammates, I love this city … This is hands-down the best organization I’ve ever been a part of, definitely in the WNBA. I’m lucky to be here. Hopefully they’ll have me back for next season because I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Wilson needs work
Second-year forward A’ja Wilson saw her numbers drop across the board from her Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018, as her scoring fell from 20.7 points to 16.5 and her rebounds declined from 8.0 per game to 6.4. At the same time, her turnovers increased from 1.3 per game to 2.1.
While some of that could be attributed to sharing the post with Cambage, some of it was Wilson’s own fault, according to Laimbeer.
After Wilson managed just four points as the Aces were eliminated on Tuesday, Laimbeer said she’ll have to rededicate herself to getting better over the offseason.
“A’ja I think hit a wall,” Laimbeer said. “I think the whole season just came crashing down on her today. Her energy level was nowhere near where it needed to be in a game like this.
“She came in not in top condition,” he continued, citing an offseason injury Wilson suffered overseas. “Throughout the course of the season she didn’t work on her conditioning, or on individual characteristics of her game that are necessary to compete in this environment. I don’t think she understood how hard this is on both sides of the ball, and I think that just wore on her and it came crashing down on her today.”
Laimbeer did express confidence that Wilson will be better for the experience next year.
“I’ll live and die with A’ja Wilson all day long.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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