WNBA Las Vegas Aces

Aces Quiet Storm, 79-62, to Move into Sole Possession of First Place

Published on July 24, 2019 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Las Vegas Aces News Release


LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas got another double-double from Liz Cambage (15 points, 12 rebounds) and all five Aces starters scored in double figures, as Las Vegas upended the Settle Storm, 79-62. The Aces are now 13-6, and have the best record in the WNBA heading into the All-Star Break.

KEY RUNS

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half.

Las Vegas led by two, 50-48 with 3:19 to go in the third quarter. The Aces scored the next five points to close out the period, and 19 of the first 27 of the fourth to go up by 18, 74-56 with 5:43 to go.

KEY STATS

In the second half, Las Vegas shot 43.8 percent from the field, while the Storm made 25.8 percent.

Las Vegas went 16 for 20 from the free throw line while Seattle made 11 for 17.

All five of the Aces starters scored in double figures, outscoring the Storm starters, 75-43.

Las Vegas tied its season low with 10 turnovers, while forcing Seattle into 19 miscues (which they turned into 20 points)

GAME NOTES

Aces streaks and statistics do not include the Las Vegas vs. Washington game from July 5 which was suspended at halftime due to an earthquake.

The Aces were once again without the services of two-time All-Star and 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year A'ja Wilson (2-0 in those games)

Liz Cambage scored in double figures for the 50th straight game which is the longest active such streak in the WNBA (15 points). She also added 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

Jackie Young scored a career-high 13 points, reaching double figures in scoring for the second time.

Kayla McBride scored in double figures for the 17th time this season (11 points).

Kelsey Plum scored in double figures for the 12th time this season (10 points).

Dearica Hamby scored in double figures for the 10th time this season, and 20 or more points for the second time (24 points).

Sami Whitcomb

finished 2-of-5 from three-point range, bringing her career total to 100 made 3-point field goals.

Natasha Howard

contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds, notching her sixth double-double of the season in the Storm's 21st game.

Last year, the WNBA's Most Improved Player finished with five double-doubles.

Alysha Clark

scored 13 points and matched her season best with three 3-point field goals.

It marked her eleventh straight game with multiple three-pointers.

Coming off the bench for the second straight game,

Jewell Loyd

poured in 12 points in 20 minutes of action. She knocked down 2-of-3 attempts from deep.

After shooting 44.8 percent (13-29 FG) in the first 20 minutes,

Seattle shot 25.8 percent (8-31 FG) the rest of the way. Seattle's three worst shooting nights on the season have all come against Las Vegas (shooting 30.7 percent against the Aces and 43.2 percent against all other opponents).

NEXT GAME

The Aces remain at home following AT&T WNBA All-Star 2019, as they host the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, July 30 at 7 pm PT.

Bill Laimbeer Quotes

Opening Statement...

We got a win that was the most important thing tonight. Anytime before an All-Star break you never know how it's going to go. It was very important not only with Seattle for the tie breaker situation but also for our own psyche. There's nothing better than going into All-Star break with a win. We got it. A lot of good performances from our starters tonight. I was happy for Jackie, she found herself today, it has been coming. Hamby played a spectacular game out there also. Overall it's our defense. We held them to 26% in the second half and that's how we win basketball games we know it and we just have to continue that.

On the Ace's first half of the season...

Yeah I cant be unhappy. We're 13-6. We have a lot of room for an improvement. We know it. Our defense is way ahead of where we thought it would be. Offensive wise we need to make shots. We got a lot of good looks tonight in the first half we just couldn't make shots. So if we can start to find a way to make shots for the rest of the season then we are going to be just fine because our defense will keep us in the game we just got to execute.

On returning players impact in first half of the season...

Plum and McBride have set the tone defensively knowing that was the key to a successful season. It starts with the guards. Chuck Daly always said, "your defense is only as good as how well your guards recover". Plum does a very good job at that. They are doggy defenders, they aren't spectacular defenders, they are doggy defenders. They are always in your face making you make tough shots not giving them easy baskets and that is what's helping set the tone. We have two shot blockers in the back line in A'ja and Liz so that helps clean up a lot of problems. We know we are a great defensive team. We are number one in the league and defensive rebounding percentage and you cant get any better than that.

Liz Cambage

Q: Thoughts on A'ja choosing you to be on her All-Star team as her third pick?

"Oh, okay! I see how it is. She clearly doesn't love me like I thought she did, so I'm gonna have a heart-to-heart with her after this. It is what it is. At the end of the day, it's just all-star, I don't actually really care that she chose me third."

Q: How important is the All-Star game being hosted in Las Vegas to you and your team?

"It's just a fun weekend for us to connect with our fans, and we are very lucky that we have it here in our city, Las Vegas, where there is a lot more than just basketball here. The fans can come out and enjoy the game and enjoy the other shows that we are putting on as well."

Q: What are you expecting from the crowd?

"They go hard for every all-star. It's all about the fans this weekend, so it's going to be fun."

Q: A'ja and Elena had a lot of fun choosing for the All-Star team, is that what it's all about?

"I'm mad, I heard I got picked third, so I am waiting for all of you to leave so I can go talk to her. No, it is all about fun. I'm pretty sure there is a rule that you cannot pick your teammates first, and her and Kayla have been playing longer together, so it's all good. I just would've been upset if I was all alone on EDD's team, but I'm lucky she chose me."

Dearica Hamby

Q. All-Star break is here. How would you assess the team is coming together the way the first half of the season went?

"I think we have done very well, there is still a lot of things that we need to work on but it's nice to have a string of teammates along giving good momentum into the second half."

Q. Defensively you guys are excellent. How have you guys been able to establish this defensive culture?

"Just playing hard and helping each other out. When we take care of the ball our defense is great."

Q. What are you going to do during your All-Star break?

"I'll be in Vegas cheering on my teammates. Just relaxing and resting up."

Dan Hughes

On game mistakes tonight...

"You look at our inability to rebound effectively, we didn't make them turned it over, which was one of our keys. We turned it over 18 times, they had a good separation in that area in their favor this time. It was a combination of things that I think are really important, give them credit because I thought they played well. I thought Dearica Hamby was excellent, she's good on the glass, 3-for-4 from the three-point line. Give Las Vegas credit, I thought they played well in the fourth."

On utilizing the All-Star break to prepare for the rest of the season...

"It's really important to us because our line-up having to move around, moving people out for injuries and getting them back. It's been good when we get practice time. We won the last four, before tonight's loss, we had a week of practice. We'll go back, be fundamental for a week, and then go to the last 13 games of the season. We'll approach it by pulling this game together one more time and hopefully keep them healthy."

On learning from games like tonight...

"I think we have to continue learning from the journey. The journey like tonight, as much as you want to win, you'll learn a few things about what is going to take to play on the road against arguably one of, if not, the best teams in the league. We just try to learn from these experiences, and that combination gives us an opportunity at the end with what we've done to maybe continue to get better."

Seattle Storm Forward Natasha Howard

On tonight's loss...

"It wasn't our night, they outrebound us, and we turned the ball multiple times. I give credit to Las Vegas, they out hustled us the whole game. They did a terrific job on us; they executed their plan like they were supposed to and in the second half they just took off. We tried coming back into the game, but we couldn't. We have a break; we're going to focus on basketball and getting our bodies and minds ready to roll."

On team injuries...

"Everybody needs to relax and get healthy. The following week, we'll be ready to rock and roll against the Mystics. Right now, we're just focused on getting everybody back healthy."

On participating in the 2019 Las Vegas All-Star game...

"I'll just have fun and enjoy myself. I'll be interacting with the other great players that are All-Stars as well. I'll be having a blast with this week off."

Check out the Las Vegas Aces Statistics

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 24, 2019


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