Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) shoots over New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay Thursday, June 29, 2023.
Published Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023 | 2:22 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Aug. 6, 2023 | 4:08 p.m.
Becky Hammon was asked for an opening statement after the worst loss in her tenure as coach of the Las Vegas Aces.
"That's a good old fashioned (butt) whooping," Hammon said.
What started as a 5-point game at halftime veered off the road in a matter of minutes for the Aces, courtesy of the New York Liberty. The Aces were held to 17 total points in the second half and lost for the third time this season, 99-61, against the Liberty at Barclays Center on Sunday.
"That was probably the worst game in my year-and-a-half, two years here," said Hammon, as the 38-point defeat is the largest defeat in her run as Aces coach. "That was our worst outing of 20 minutes I've ever seen."
Now 24-3 on the season and their eight-game winning streak at an end, it's a reminder Hammon hopes will prove beneficial for her group that hasn't seen much adversity this season. Each of their wins over the previous eight games were by double digits.
"I don't mind getting our (butt) whooped every now and then," Hammon said. "It's a good reminder that we're still human that you've got to prove it every moment you're out there."
The Aces went into halftime trailing 49-44 in a half that seemingly played into their hands. It was a 5-point deficit despite A'ja Wilson shooting 1 for 5 in the first half, and the Aces holding MVP counterpart Breanna Stewart to 1 of 8 in the first 20 minutes.
But the Aces had no answer for all-star guard Sabrina Ionescu and her game-high 31 points, with 23 of the coming in the first half. Ionescu, the fourth-best 3-point shooter in the league at 43.3%, made six of the Liberty's 17 3-pointers and shot 12 of 19 from the floor.
Las Vegas also had no solution for its own offense, shooting just 21.2% in the second half with the Liberty outscoring the Aces 50-17.
Wilson finished 2 of 14 for seven points, ending her streak of seven straight games of 20 points. Jackie Young led the Aces with 16 points. Las Vegas shot a season-low 32.4% from the floor and shot just 6 of 23 from 3-point range.
"We just didn't have it today," Wilson said. "You've got to credit them. They shot the (expletive) out of the basketball. It is what it is."
Wilson had a brief exit late in the first quarter after taking an elbow to the head from Liberty forward Jonquel Jones. She had to clear concussion protocol before being allowed to re-enter the game. Wilson said postgame she felt fine and doesn't anticipate any setbacks prior to Tuesday's game in Dallas.
It was a far cry from the Aces' 98-81 win over the Liberty at Michelob Ultra Arena on June 29, the first meeting of the season which the Aces dominated and seemed to send a message in the midst of their record start.
It wouldn't be a true WNBA Finals preview if the other team didn't get a response in. The Liberty, with the league's second-best record at 22-6, did that by shooting 50% from the floor and having five players scoring in double figures.
They'll meet three more times in the regular season, starting with a back-to-back in Las Vegas on Aug. 15 and 17. The first matchup is for the Commissioner's Cup, the league's regular season tournament championship.
The losses have come far and few between for the Aces this season. They've pieced together winning streaks after each loss, and will try that again Tuesday against a Wings team that has given them problems in recent matchups.
"For me, I got the 24-hour rule," Wilson said. "By tomorrow, we've got to focus on the next team. This league doesn't wait on anyone. It was just one of those days."
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
