Las Vegas ends losing streak by executing second-half comeback against Indiana

Las Vegas guard Chelsea Gray is all fired up during the team's pull-away victory over Indiana inside the T-Mobile Arena. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

The three-game losing streak for the Las Vegas Aces has come to a screeching halt in a nearly poetic fashion.

After losing five of its last six games, Las Vegas pumped out a come-from-behind victory over Indiana, 89-81, Sunday, June 22 from the T-Mobile Arena in front of more than 19,000 people. The matchup featured the two teams slotted in the seventh and eighth spots in the league standings.

“Every win is a need for us at this point of the season,” forward A’ja Wilson said. “I’m also proud of our bench. They came in in the third [quarter] and were just solid. They were solid in protecting the lead.”

The win moves the Aces to 6-7 on the year while still amidst this four-game homestand. A stretch of home games that will continue Wednesday, June 25 from the Michelob Ultra Arena against the Connecticut Sun.

Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

“We’ve got to get the games we’re supposed to get,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “We've got to start defending our homecourt. Hopefully this gives us a taste of what it takes to win games in this league.”

With recent games for Las Vegas featuring a second-half collapse of some sort, the team pulled off a comeback in the second 20-minute session this time around for a role reversal of sorts.

Guard Caitlin Clark tallied eight assists in the game’s opening half leading to a big first 20 minutes for teammate Aliyah Boston.

“I wasn’t thrilled with how we came out defensively,” Hammon said. “But we figured it out. I think sometimes I can show them in film and we can walk over things but until you feel it, until you feel Indiana’s pace live – sometimes it’s hard to realize how fast they play.”

Aces forward A'ja Wilson gets high for a block during the team's eight-point win over the Fever. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Hammon added the adjustment came about four minutes into the game.

Clark closed the night with 19 points and 10 assists while shooting 7-for-20 from the field including a 1-for-10-mark from deep. Boston, on the other hand, compiled 26 points and 10 rebounds on 12-of-19 shooting.

“We just really have to guard pick-and-rolls better,” Wilson said. “Just understanding our assignment and understanding that we’ve got to protect the paint at all cost. And that’s on all of us, not just me.”

Indiana took a six-point lead into halftime and took a three-point lead into the final frame. To that point, Las Vegas had been held to 41% from the field and 27% from three-point range.

Less than a minute and a half into the fourth quarter, the Aces grabbed their first lead since the opening quarter. It was a 23-12 run by the home team that amounted to the team’s largest lead of the game at eight points.

“They were just really intentional just by their talking,” Hammon said. “We’ve got to keep that talk up, I like that. They’re obviously hyper-aware of it but I thought we cleaned some things up.”

In total, Las Vegas won the fourth quarter by 11 points. During the 10-minute session, the team shot 60% from the floor while knocking down a pair of threes.

Five players reached double-figures for the Aces, led by Wilson, who had to shake off a very slow start.

“My teammates, that’s really the simple answer,” she said. “They continue to trust me, they continue to lean on me. I think my hands were screwed on backwards so I got that right at some point of the game.”

Wilson started her day 1-for-9 from the field on her way to a 2-for-13 showing in the first half. In the second half, she’d settle down to score 18 of her team-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks.

“I know A’ja isn’t going to struggle all game how she showed up at the start,” Hammon said. “I just know that eventually, that worm will turn. She was huge in the second half.”

Las Vegas rookie Aaliyah Nye (#13) heads to the bench while being hyped by teammates Chelsea Gray (#12) and Tiffany Mitchell (#3). Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

Guard Jackie Young packed the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists. She had a crucial steal and layup finish plus the foul in that big fourth quarter for Las Vegas.

Gray added 18 points on a very efficient 8-for-12 shooting. Fellow guard Jewell Loyd was the final starter in double-figures with 10 points coupled with five rebounds and five assists.

Rookie guard Aaliyah Nye continues to be a subject of conversation off the bench for the Aces. She was responsible for the three-point basket that gave the home team the fourth-quarter lead, a lead that it would never relinquish again.

“Roll Tide has done a great job,” Wilson said of the Alabama rookie. “That’s why any chance I get I tell her to shoot the basketball. Literally, clear your mind and shoot the basketball.”