Defense disappears as Las Vegas is smacked by Minnesota on road

Las Vegas guard Jackie Young struggles to make a move offensively while defended tightly by Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Probably the last thing a Las Vegas Aces team needed as it continues to lick their early season wounds, was to see the league’s best team in the Minnesota Lynx.

Minnesota sent Las Vegas to a second straight loss on the heels of a, 109-78, win from the Target Center Friday, July 25. Entering the weekend, the Lynx sat atop the WNBA’s standings with an overall record of 21-4 including an undefeated 13-0 mark at home.

“Pretty early in the third [quarter],” head coach Becky Hammon said about things beginning to slide in the wrong direction. “In the second quarter, we couldn’t get any stops. The defense was atrocious.”

Friday was the second back-to-back of the year for the Aces with one more slated for early August. The team has dropped both contests in such instances.

Las Vegas will look to get back to its winning ways Sunday, July 27 from the College Park Center in Texas against Dallas. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. as the former back-to-back league champions look to get back to .500 on the year.

“You get up the next day and you go to work,” Hammon said. “You keep teaching and you keep coaching and you keep encouraging and you keep trying to will them there. That’s the only way I know how [to be], you just go back to work.”

Minnesota scored at least 24 points in each of the four quarters against Las Vegas en route to a lopsided win. On the other hand, the visitors were held to 18 points or less in three of the four quarters.

The home team closed the opening frame on a 15-4 run after opening the frame on a 7-0 spurt. Things just continued to roll downhill from there.

Aces guard Chelsea Gray elevates for a midrange jumpshot inside the Target Center against the Lynx. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

“It obviously sucked because I hate to be on the bench,” forward A'ja Wilson said after sitting out the entire fourth quarter. “But at the same time, I’m glad that it gave our bench an opportunity just to play through things. When it comes to games like this the outcome is going to be the outcome but at this point we’ve just got to start forming better habits.”

The second quarter ended similar to the first as the Lynx ran a 12-3 stretch into the halftime break. Ultimately the Aces trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half, 24 in the third quarter and 31 points in the final frame of the game.

Minnesota’s third quarter saw the team pump out 34 points before finishing with 100-plus points for the third time this season. It’s the third time the Las Vegas defense has allowed 100 points to an opponent.

“I think [three games in four days] is a factor,” Hammon said. “I don’t think it tells the whole story. It’s hard being a professional athlete. Mentally and physically, it’s exhausting. The greats handle hard well and we have not handled hard well.”

While the defense was struggling to gain traction, the Las Vegas offense wasn’t far behind in the same struggles. As a team, it shot 38% from the floor including an 8-for-26 mark from three-point territory. Additionally, the team shot under 70% from the free throw line on 23 attempts.

As a result, the Aces were outrebounded, 48-30, in the loss. Moreover, the team only managed to turn 10 forced turnovers into just two points on the other end.

With pressure building and patience thinning, Hammon was whistled for a technical foul in the third quarter. It went down as her second technical of the year.

“There was a loose ball out at halfcourt,” Hammon said. “And I thought [Minnesota guard] Courtney Williams fouled A’ja. And it impacted her ability to get the ball, just knocked her off her route, it’s a foul. It was too rough I thought although, we looked like the rough team because we fouled them and sent them to the line 38 times.”

Wilson led her team in scoring with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting with seven rebounds added to her stat line. Young added 14 points as the team’s second and final double-figure scorer.

First-year Las Vegas guard Jewell Loyd battled foul trouble for most of the contest beginning with two quick fouls in the game’s opening quarter. She’d earn a third foul in the second quarter and finish the game with five, one away from a final disqualifying whistle.

While working through foul trouble, Loyd struggled to find the bottom of the basket. She’d finish the game with zero points on 0-for-10 from the field. It’s the second time this season that she’s finished a game without a made field goal while finishing without a point for the first time in a game this year.

Additionally, the two-time champion has closed a game with two made field goals or less seven times this season.

“I mean, she missed shots,” Hammon said. “You’ll have to ask her, I mean, we’re trying to get everybody open looks. We had a lot of open looks, we missed them. She’s not out there trying to miss shots, nobody’s out there trying to miss shots.”