By Cassandra Cousineau
LVSportsBiz.com
Photos by Steve Rosenthal
The Las Vegas Aces scored a heart-stopping 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky in the Aces’ first ever playoff game in Las Vegas thanks to what the WNBA is calling “the shot of the year.”
It was a spirited announced crowd of 7,981 at Thomas & Mack Center that watched the Aces’ Dearica Hamby win the game with a steal and 35-foot three-point shot with less than five seconds to go in the game.
“Welcome to the playoffs,” an emotional Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said after the game after had made an impassioned plea to locals in a letter published as an advertisement in the local Las Vegas newspaper to attend Sunday’s playoff game. The game was fast-paced and back-and-forth at Thomas & Mack, which hosted the playoff contest because the Aces’ usual home court — Mandalay Bay Events Center — was booked this weekend.
The Aces now move on to play the Washington Mystics and WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne Tuesday on Washington’s home court in the best-of-5 WNBA semifinals.
MGM Resorts International owns the WNBA team and MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren is a big fan who attended Sunday’s game.
The crowd was loud and among the biggest of the year for the Aces.
The last-second victory is already earning a spot in Las Vegas basketball folklore, made possible by a steal by Hamby with 13.4 seconds and then her virtual Hail Mary, 3-pointer. The team then held off Chicago for the remaining 4.3 seconds of the game.
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