By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Liz Cambage wrapped her arm around Dearica Hamby’s shoulder as the Aces walked off the court. They could not hide the disappointment.
A powerful Washington Mystics squad had just defeated the Las Vegas Aces, 94-90, in Game 4 of the Best-of-5 WNBA Semifinals and the second season for the Aces in Las Vegas was over.
The Aces had championship hopes with the trade for the six-foot, eight-inch Cambage. But the Mystics were powered by all-world Elena Delle Donne, plus clutch fourth quarter shooting by Emma Meesseman to squeeze out the four-point win and win the series, three games to one.
There were 5,465 fans in Mandalay Bay Events Center Tuesday night with Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis sticking around to the end. Raiders owner Mark Davis, a frequent courtside attendee, was watching, too.
In the end, the Aces lacked the late-game experience to power through in Game 4. Cambage scored 25 points, but A’ja Wilson scored only four points and three-point specialist Kayla McBride chipped in with only eight points.
League MVP Delle Donne had 25 points, with Meesseman scoring 22 and Kristi Toliver helping with 20 points.
The crowd size was not as large as Sunday’s gathering when more than 6,000 fans were in the arena. But they were loud until the end when Hamby missed a game-tying three-point shot in the final seconds.
The Aces finish, 21-14, in their second season in Las Vegas after MGM Resorts International bought the former San Antonio Stars franchise and moved the WNBA club to Sin City.
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