WNBA Las Vegas Aces

Aces Drop Second Straight, 98-77, at Minnesota

Published on August 25, 2019 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Las Vegas Aces News Release


Minneapolis, MN - Las Vegas battled back from a 15-point first quarter deficit to take the lead Sunday evening, but a 20-4 Lynx run to open the second half helped Minnesota to a 98-77 victory.

KEY RUNS

First Quarter

Minnesota scored the first 8 points of the game as the Aces went 0 for 3 from the field and committed 2 turnovers. Minnesota would go on to lead by as many as 15 in the quarter.

Second Quarter

Las Vegas outscored the Lynx 21-7 to start the second quarter.

Third Quarter

Minnesota scored 20 of the first 24 points of the quarter to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Fourth Quarter

None.

KEY STATS

Minnesota made 58.8 percent of its field goal attempts on the night compared to 42.0 for the Aces.

The Aces committed 16 turnovers to 30 for Minnesota. The Lynx turned Las Vegas' turnovers into 11 points, while the Aces turned Minnesota's into 13.

GAME NOTES

Minnesota's 58.8 percent shooting from the field is the highest field goal percentage by an Aces opponent this season, and just the fourth time Las Vegas has allowed a team to make 50 percent or more of its shots this year. The Aces are 0-12 since moving to Las Vegas in games in which they have allowed the opponent to make 50 percent or more of their shots.

The Lynx 98 points are the second most the Aces have allowed in a game this season (99 vs. Washington on July 5/August 5).

Liz Cambage scored in double figures for the 26th time this season (12 points).

Dearica Hamby scored in double figures for the 18th time this season (10 points).

A'ja Wilson scored in double figures for the 19th time this season (11 points).

Sugar Rodgers scored in double figures for the 2nd time this season (11 points).

Jackie Young scored in double figures for the 7th time this season (14 points).

Las Vegas trailed by 10 or more points at the end of the first quarter for the 5th time this season. They are now 1-4 in those games.

NEXT GAME

Las Vegas remains on the road, traveling to Indiana Tuesday for a 4 pm PT tip against the Fever.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

With the loss, Las Vegas remains a-game-and-a-half behind Connecticut in second place, and falls into a tie with Los Angeles for third place. The Sparks are currently 2-1 against Las Vegas, with the teams scheduled to play one more game, Saturday, August 31, at Mandalay Bay Arena. The Aces are also a half game ahead of Chicago, but own the tiebreaker over the Sky.

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS

Bill Laimbeer - https://youtu.be/fbtnbugvknI

Sugar Rodgers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgMLfyP6HGo&feature=youtu.be

Tamera Young - https://youtu.be/ZS0PJy3OJPE

Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve

On Sunday's home win against the Las Vegas Aces...

"There were so many positive things that stood out. It was a team effort. I told Syl [Fowles] that when she plays like that, we're going to be hard to beat. I thought Syl set the tone for us. Danielle Robinson was incredible, both defensively and offensively. Napheesa Collier was really good. Damiris Dantas had her moments. Just across the board I thought our bench was really solid. Obviously, one of our better games of the season."

On recording a shooting percentage of 58.8% against the Las Vegas Aces...

"Again, same thing as halftime, we didn't think we were moving the ball well enough in the first half. We just thought we were missing opportunities to make more passes and make it easier. We scored 50 points in the paint. That is not easy to do against the Las Vegas Aces. But, there was transition. We got a second chance and we were just pretty locked in and we wanted to win."

Lynx Guard Danielle Robinson

On this being her best game in a Lynx uniform...

"I agree. Everything was just clicking. Credit to all of my teammates, obviously. Every time that we step on the court, we all believe in each other and have faith in each other and tonight it was just, it was fun to be on the floor with them."

On being put back in the starting lineup...

"I am always ready when my number is called. It doesn't matter what position she puts me in. Like I have told you guys before, I am just going to come in and try to do my part. Tonight, I had a tough matchup in guarding Kayla [McBride] so just making sure that we were good defensively and we were able to get out and run."

Lynx Forward Napheesa Collier

On the four-game homestand...

"It is a really big stretch. We take pride in every game, obviously, but home games especially. We know we have to protect our home court. We want to come out [with] a bang, exactly like we did tonight and this team that we saw tonight, we know that we can be that every single game. So it is about coming out strong and executing what we need to."

On Danielle Robinson's performance...

"She was everywhere tonight. She is kind of what got our team going both offensively and defensively, getting steals, she was defending their best player and then coming down and getting in transition, finding people, scoring in the paint, so she was great for us."

Lynx Center Sylvia Fowles

On her role of setting the tone for the team...

"It was very important for me to come out the way that I did tonight. Just a gritty move, making sure that I set the tone and that my teammates follow and not trying to do so much of the talking but more so just going out there and being about it. That's the tone I tried to set tonight."

On Danielle Robinson's performance...

"She was great all around. Distributing the ball, limiting turnovers, getting steals. That's the best we've seen in her all season, and I'm happy she had to prove herself. I think a lot of the teams don't respect her and what she does, so for her to have a game like this is pretty much putting her on people's scouting list. It's been good for her to come out and showcase her talent the way she has been. The past couple of games have been amazing from her and hopefully she can keep it up from here on out."

Aces Head Coach Bill Laimbeer

Overall thoughts on the game...

"They played harder than us. They wanted it more than us. We are a very tired basketball team right now but the league doesn't stop. We need some practice time. We need a little bit of rest but unfortunately we are still on the road and we have more games we have to fight in."

On the difference in points in the paint...

"They ran the ball down the floor on us. They go layup, layup, layup. Their pick-and-rolls were very hard and very quick We didn't handle it very well and like I said we were tired, we were a step slow the entire night."

Aces Guard Sugar Rodgers

On what the Aces can adjust moving forward into their next road game...

"Overall, we just need to bring more energy. That's pretty much it. We struggled with that in the first quarter but that's the basic job if we can go in and do that every night."

On what the Lynx were doing right in today's game...

"They were hitting shots. Everything. They just played harder than we did."

Aces Forward Tamera Young

On what the team needed to improve upon...

"Tonight we just seemed like we were stuck stepping a little slow on it, communication coming off the screens and just knowing the players' personnel. I think we lacked that tonight and that's what one of the issues was."

On what the team needs to adjust...

"From the guards, we needed more pressure. We were getting beat off the dribble and in the post we were letting them duck in and take it to us. We have to learn from that and be more aggressive from the start to the finish."

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