Same story again as Aces lose following shaky second half

Las Vegas forward A'ja Wilson reacts during the team's most recent amidst this 5-7 start to the season. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

The road continues to be a winding one for this year’s Las Vegas Aces as the team continues to look for answers within.

Most recently, Las Vegas was beaten by Seattle, 90-83, Friday, June 20 from the Michelob Ultra Arena. It goes down as the fifth loss in the last six outings for the Aces and the team’s third straight loss overall.

Additionally, it’s the second Storm win in three meetings through the first 12 games of the season. The final meeting of the regular season series will take place in early August.

“We’ve already exhausted [our excuses],” forward A’ja Wilson said. “That was game two to me so now it’s about making the right basketball decision and seeing how teams are guarding us.

“It’s on each and every last one of us from top to bottom, especially myself, to make sure we’re geared up and ready to play 40 minutes. I don’t know what that’s going to take, I think it’s going to take for us to continue to get our ass beat for us to wake up. But it’s gone click.”

Las Vegas is now 5-7 overall and sliding in the league’s standings. Entering play, the team was the eighth-best team based on record. Now a half-game separates the team from the No. 9 Washington Mystics.

“We spoiled a lot of people with our greatness,” Wilson said. “With our legendary basketball styles, we see people are running our stuff. So we spoiled our fanbase, we spoiled a lot of people with that and now they expect that out of us every single game.”

Friday’s game was the start of a four-game homestand for the Aces. It continues Sunday, June 22 from the T-Mobile Arena when the team welcomes in the Indiana Fever. Tip-off is slated for 12 p.m.

“We’re in unfamiliar territory,” Wilson said. “But we’re about to get real familiar with being uncomfortable and leaning on one another and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

In the homestand opener, Las Vegas lost its second consecutive game despite having a lead at the halftime break. In fact, the team turned a six-point halftime lead into an 11-point lead with about six and a half minutes left in the third quarter.

Aces guard Chelsea Gray looks to create offense while defended by former teammate Alysha Clark. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

In the first quarter, the team trailed by 10 points.

“It’s more than an Achilles heel,” Hammon said. “It’s a thing. Maybe I’ll just start a different five in the third quarter, we’ll see. Anything’s on the table at this point because it’s gross.”

The Aces committed six turnovers in the third quarter after only coughing the ball away five times in the entire first half. Despite the game producing eight ties, Las Vegas’ last lead was 18-16 early in the second quarter.

“The ball’s just not going through for us,” Wilson said. “When the ball doesn’t go through the hoop, everything else just crumbles and that’s what it feels like. It feels like we’ll be running in mud and it’s just turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.”

In total, the Aces committed 14 turnovers in the loss. Coming into the game, Las Vegas had turned the ball over 43 times in the last two losses. Things were compounded when Seattle muscled out three offensive rebounds in the final of the game.

Las Vegas forward A'ja Wilson shows major emotion after a made basket. Photo Credit: Las Vegas Aces

“Just giving the ball to the other team,” Wilson said. “That’s our biggest thing, that’s been our biggest hump. That and the third quarter, the third quarter kind of sucks for us – I don’t know what it is but I’m going to get to the bottom of it for my team and I.”

Wilson made her return to action after missing the last three games due to a concussion. She came right out of the gates by making her first field goal attempt from the field.

“She was clearly watching some of the Achilles heel issues we’ve been having,” Hammon said. “Thought she was a bit rusty today. Seven turnovers is extremely unusual for her. She gets a little bit of a grace period on this one coming off and not having played for a while.”

By halftime, Wilson neared a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds. She finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals.

“I’m just getting back into the swing of things,” she said. “But I feel good, I just honestly have to put the ball in the hoop and stop giving it away to the other team. That’s unacceptable on my end.”

Guard Jackie Young scored the last 10 first-half points for Las Vegas on her way to a team-high 22 points on the night. She scored her 22 points on an efficient 8-for-13 from the field with four made threes, five assists and four rebounds.

“Honestly, just trying to play the right way,” she said. “If a couple fall then I know [my teammates] are going to keep going back to me. I just got hot for a little bit but it starts with our defense, whenever we’re getting stops on the defensive end we’re able to get going in transition and play at the pace we want to play at.”

During that second-quarter push, the Aces cut the deficit to a point on several occasions but couldn’t get over the hump until Young made her individual run. According to Hammon, the offense wasn’t the problem.

“[The breakthrough] should always come through on the defensive end,” she said. “The first quarter they sat on 23 [points] for a while. So it was getting stops and getting scores from that first into the second [...] But it really started with that second unit coming in and getting stops.”

Guard Jewell Loyd was the final starter in double-figures with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting including three made treys.

Rookie guard Aaliyah Nye scored 13 points off the bench for Las Vegas. She scored six points during an 8-0 run to close the first half, all points made on two made threes.

“You’re looking at her points,” Hammon said. “She gets minutes because she plays hard. Her effort is there every time. I can’t say the same down the line.”