A’ja Wilson led a balanced but dominant effort for the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in an 87-62 win over the host Connecticut Sun.
Wilson made 6-of-16 attempts from the field and went 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Las Vegas got 13 points from offseason acquisition Jewel Loyd on 7-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, after Loyd was held to just five points against the Liberty in the season opener. In Loyd’s defense, she suffered a broken nose in the season opener and she had to wear a mask on Tuesday as a result.
“I cracked my nose, so just protecting my face a little bit (with the mask),’ Loyd said. “I think I just had to concentrate a little bit more, so maybe that's why my shot went in. But honestly, just the encouragement from my teammates has helped a lot. I’m still working on getting my feet wet here and enjoying the process.”
Jackie Young added 16 points for the second consecutive game, though she made 5-of-9 attempts from the field on Tuesday. That’s a significant upgrade from 5-of-19 against New York on Saturday. If Tuesday’s game proved anything for the Aces, it’s that the team is only a championship contender if it can do enough to support Wilson. On Tuesday, they did.
“Quite frankly, the team I saw on Saturday, I haven't seen in a while,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “It's not what I have been seeing in the past three weeks from this group. It was nice to see in a game, in live action, the team that I had been seeing for the past three weeks. That was encouraging to see. And we didn't even necessarily shoot the ball great.
“Once that ball starts going in and starts clicking at a high level, I think we're going to put a really great team on the floor. A very entertaining team, a fun team to watch, a team that gets up and down. A team that trusts each other, plays with each other, and wins together.”
The Aces’ dominant effort also allowed them to give their bench some significant run during, the game, including rookies Aaliyah Nye and Liz Kitley, who each played 11+ minutes. Nye made her first career 3-pointer, while Kierstan Bell also added a 3-point field goal in her 13 minutes off the bench. Free agent acquisition Dana Evans led the bench unit with 23 minutes, scoring five points on 2-of-7 shooting.
“I thought the bench did a great job tonight,” Becky Hammon said. “From what I've seen the last three weeks, we're going to have a very productive bench. Everybody seems to be staying ready when their number's called. I think once the (new additions) get comfortable in our system and get their rhythm and timing, I think they're going to be very formidable coming off the bench.
“We're still in the process of developing Kitley. She's coming off a pretty major injury. Trying to buy her minutes. And you all know I love shooters, so you get Aaliyah (Nye). I think KB (Kierstan Bell) has done great with the minutes that she's gotten. She’s stayed ready.”
The Aces are back in Las Vegas on Friday for their home opener against the Washington Mystics. The game tips off at 7 pm local time at Michelob Ultra Arena and will be broadcast live on Ion.