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Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas Completes Road Trip with 77-67 Loss at Dallas

June 16, 2018 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Las Vegas Aces News Release


ARLINGTON, TX - Las Vegas nearly erased all of a 13-point deficit Friday evening, but couldn't quite get over the hump as Dallas picked up a 77-67 victory over the Aces. It was the final game of a four-game road trip for Las Vegas, who finished it with a 2-2 record.

KEY RUNS

Dallas led by two, 22-20 late in the first, and outscored the Aces 17-6 to go up by double-digits. for the first time, 39-26.

It was still a 13-point Wings lead with 4:23 to go in the second quarter, but Las Vegas scored nine of the next 11 points, and went into the locker room trailing by just six, 45-39.

The Aces closed to within two late in the fourth quarter, but Dallas scored the final eight points of the game for the final 10-point margin of victory.

KEY STATS

The Wings grabbed 11 offensive rebounds on the night compared to one for the Aces.

Dallas' Liz Cambage and Skylar Diggins-Smith combined to go 13 for 23 from the field in the first half to score 32 points. Diggins-Smith went 0 for 9 from the field in the second half for 3 points, while Cambage went six for eight for 13 points

Dallas and Las Vegas entered the game ranked first and second in the league in free throw attempts per game respectively. The Wings finished 14 for 17 from the line, while the Aces went 13 for 18.

The Aces' bench came into the game averaging 24.6 points per game, but finished with just eight.

GAME NOTES

Kayla McBride (22 points) reached double figures in scoring for the eighth time this season. She did so before the first media time out of the first quarter as she scored 11 of the team's first 16 points. A'ja Wilson scored the other five during that time span.

Kayla McBride scored 20 or more points for the second time this season, pouring in a season-high 22.

A'ja Wilson (14 points) reached double figures in scoring for the 11th time in a row to start her career.

A'ja Wilson blocked a career-high four shots.

Tamera Young grabbed a season-high nine rebounds.

Liz Cabbage posted a 28-point, 18-rebound double-double. Both of those figures are season-highs for an Aces' opponent.

The Aces held Dallas to 1 of 15 shooting from three-point range. That is the fewest three-point field goals that a Las Vegas opponent has made this season.

Head Coach Bill Laimbeer

Thoughts on the road trip

"Well, I told the players after the game that I thought it was a solid road trip for us. We played quality teams, got a couple of wins, but we've got to learn the mental part of the game. Every possession counts. Tonight, we got a little mentally fatigued and it cost us."

On mental vs physical fatigue from the trip

"I don't think it was tired legs as it was tired minds. We're so youn g, we don't understand yet how perpetual basketball is. Every game is just a stop, it keeps coming up, we have to be mentally strong every game. I think we let down mentally tonight, and that's what cost us."

On game plan for guarding Liz Cambage

"I think she got too deep in the paint. We weren't physical with her early on. When she gets that deep - she made a lot of shots tonight, give her credit for that, also - but we let her get too deep and have too many easy baskets."

Guard, Kayla McBride

On finishing the road tip 2 - 2

"I think it was a good road trip for us, overall. Getting wins anywhere in this league on the road is a big deal, so for this young team to get two back - to - back I think was really good for us. Obviously, we didn't finish the road trip ho w we wanted to, but carrying this momentum, the league that we play in, the schedule that we have, we kind of have to be prepared no matter what. We're going to travel back, get ready to play Phoenix for our home fans. "

On losing the offensive rebound battle as a team

"We just can't give this team extra possessions, and that's really what it came down to. We had the better field goal percentage and everything like that, got to the free throw line same amount of times as them. So it just came down to wan ting those balls a little bit more, and I think that was kind of the separation point. "

On team effort guarding Liz Cambage

"This is actually the first time I've played against her in the WNBA, so, I think you just want to make her shoot from the outside. She didn't take any outside shots, and that's what made her so effective. She got comfortable, she got into a rhythm, and it didn't really matter what we did. Obviously, JiSu (Park) has beenour big presence inside, so I was really proud of her just on this road trip overall. She saw Tina Charles, she saw Brittney Griner, she saw Cambage, so, just to see her growth and her learning process, as well as A'ja Wilson's. It's tough, she (Cambage) had a great game, give credit to her, but we're still working."

On personal performance

"I was just trying to find my shot, especially early. During a long road trip, just trying to give a little bit of energy, make it a little bit easier on our post players. I felt like A'ja (Wilson) has been carrying us a loto f these games, so I wanted to take the pressure off her, hit some outside shots. And I think overall, it helped, but then Cambage kind of got off. So, it's tough, especially on the road, and their fans, they're a lot more comfortable, they proba bly had a couple more days than we had, but give credit to them."

Forward , A'ja Wilson

On finishing the four - game road trip

"Of course, we would have loved to go 4 - 0, but 2 - 2 I feel like that's something that surprised a lot of people, and I think that we grew from it, and that's what it's all about. In this league, like coach always says, it doesn't stop. So for us to keep going and keep growing, I think there's a bright future for us."

On posting up vs Liz Cambage

"I feel like our game plan was similar t o how we would defend Brittney Griner. It's just that we're not all up there, so I think for us, it's using our length and to always keep a body on her. I think that's something we're really going to focus on next time, box her out, keep a body on her and force her off her game. I think that's the main thing."

On the rebounding descrepancy

"I think that's something we can control, I think it's kind of tough when we're all over the place on plays. But I think you need that extra push, I know that with myself I have to get that extra push to go get that offensive rebound, so I've got to put that on myself. But I think next game, we'll turn that around. Normally, when we

see things that we weren't good at in one game, we turn it around in the next. So I think t hat's definitely going to be our focus.

Wings Head Coach Fred Williams

On Wings center Liz Cambage

" She is capable of being a double - double playe r. Each game, she gets into the rhythm of scoring with her offensive move s an d shooting to u ch . That ' s the reason why we signed her - scoring and rebound. She demonstrated that tonight. "

On Wings guard L eticia Romero

" She orchestrated very well , being a floor general for us. Lots of things that don ' t show up in stats. I just thin k for her f irst game that she did a fantas tic job for us. She was a little nervous but she mad e it up defensively and passing that basketball , getting it to her t eammates in the right spots. "

On putting in Romero for more minutes

" That ' s the whole plan for signing her and having her come aboard. Run the point guard position for us. I didn ' t expect to play her as many minutes as a I did, but she was in that rhythm with her teammates and we just move with the flow. I look for her to take some minutes there and give Skylar a blow. "

On midgame adjustments

" Just making some plays . We got a little flat making p la ys in that t hird quarter , then in the fourt h we just h ave to close out and hit shots. Get the ball inside and get some and - one plays. Mainly just grind it out. I thought Vegas really played hard and they are team that's really gelling , especially on the road. "

Wings guard Skylar Diggins - Smith

On second half play this season

" It ' s a case by case basis. Different matchups, different lineups. We went in with a lead after most first hal ves, so we know teams are going to come out tough. T he third quarter is so important. T hat's on both sides, that ' s universal. The first four minutes of the third quarter is the battle. I don ' t really think to o much about it. We ' re still trying to learn with different matchups. We added L eticia today , a nd me sliding the two guard. W e haven ' t had any time to practice together . (Las Ve gas) is a team that plays hard. They just came off a back - to - back . They are finishing up a road trip. On a trip like that, you get fatigued and it ' s hard to stay in rhyth m. The ir record doesn ' t show who they really are. I don ' t think about that. It ' s case - by - case making adjustments . We made the last run, and I believe that ' s important for us. Teams are going to make their runs in the WNBA. Everybo dy is good, everybody can score in bunches. But for us, we played them even in t he third quar ter, then we were able to take off there halfway thr ough the fourth t o make the last run. "

Las Vegas tipped off its first season of WNBA competition in May of 2018. Playing at Mandalay Bay Events Center, the Aces are coached by legendary NBA player and WNBA head coach Bill Laimbeer. Tickets to Aces games may be purchased at LasVegasAces.com. For additional information about the Aces please visit LasVegasAces.com or follow on social media via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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