Las Vegas battles back to take down Washington on road

Las Vegas flipped the scoreboard, coming back from 15 points in the first quarter to pick up yet another double-digit win of its own as it extended its win streak.

The Aces beat the Washington Mystics, 89-77, Sunday, July 14 from the Entertainment & Sports Arena for their 11th double-digit win of the season. In the three-game season sweep, Las Vegas beat Washington by an average of 11 points per contest.

“We talk about culture a lot,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “I think the biggest thing, there’s so many things that I appreciate about them collectively as a group.”

That’s now four straight wins for the Aces as the team improves to 16-7 on the year. As a result, the group leapfrogged the idle Minnesota Lynx for third place in the WNBA. The difference is now a half game between the two clubs.

Sunday’s matchup marked the end of a three-game road trip that elapsed close to a week. One more game remains for Las Vegas ahead of the Olympic break.

The Aces will host the Chicago Sky Tuesday, July 16 inside the Michelob Ultra Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

“At the end of the day, that effort always has to be there,” Hammon said. “We’re still a work in progress, there’s so many things we can get better at and improve on. This group is battle-tested together, they know how to dig out of a hole – now I would like to not be in the hole to begin with. But they do have a resilient spirit about them.”

Washington poured in 31 points in the game’s opening quarter as it jumped out to a 15-point lead early. The team shot 60% during the 10 minutes including a 6-for-7 mark from three-point range.

Coming into play, the Mystics ranked second in the league in three-point percentage.

Guard Ariel Atkins raced out to 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the opening frame with four made threes. By the end of the third quarter, she had tied her career-high of 32 points. She’d finish with 36.

“We just hit a different gear in the second quarter,” Hammon said. “Once again we come out lackadaisical and soft defensively. We’re going to try to obviously clean that up and come in with a better sense of urgency.”

Needing a response to that first frame, Las Vegas held Washington to just 12 points in the second quarter. It was an 18-4 run that allowed for the two-time defending champions to battle back into the contest.

Three-pointers from guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young ultimately tied the game at 40 apiece. After losing the first quarter by 11, the Aces recovered to go +23 the remainder of the way.

“I feel like we just came out in a lull,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “We’re coming off of a very, very, very long road trip so you kind of get into those moments – especially around all-star break, you don’t want to check out.”

Early in the third quarter, Las Vegas snagged its first lead since it led 2-0 early in the game. To close the third frame and start the fourth quarter, a 9-0 spurt by the team provided some much-needed cushion. Another 8-2 run before the final buzzer pushed the lead to 11 points, the largest of the game for the visitors.

Wilson posted her 14th double-double of the season on her way to 28 points on 12-of-19 from the floor to go along with 17 rebounds. She has now reached at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in three straight games which is a league record.

“I’ve just got to get the job done,” she said. “[Forward Kiah Stokes] normally takes my boards so I leave that job to her. But when it’s just me out there I try everything I can to get more possessions for us.”

As a team, the Aces won the rebounding battle by 10. Through the three games against the Mystics this season, the team won the rebounding margin by a total of +23.

Plum added 22 points while fellow guard Tiffany Hayes poured in 17 points off-the-bench. The 17 points matches the vet’s season-high this season after coming out of retirement.

“I’m just used to doing what a team needs me to do,” Hayes said. “Regardless whether it's starting or coming off the bench so it really makes no difference whether it's either or. I’m going to go out there and give 100% and today I felt good.”