By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
It was all high fives and fist bumps in the air for Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis in Seattle Tuesday. The team’s new owner traveled to catch a road game as the Aces led wire to wire in a 96-80 road win over the Seattle Storm, a team that defeated the Aces in the season opener.
The Aces’ Jackie Young scored a career-high 21 points, and added a career-high tying 10 rebounds to even Las Vegas’ record at 1-1 on the new WNBA season.
Reigning WNBA MVP, A’Ja Wilson, played a more relaxed game and was seen pointing up in the stands to Davis on several scoring sequences in the paint. “It’s his birthday! You know we had to put it on for him. We’re glad that he could travel up here to see us play, and happy that he’s our owner.”
A third-year point guard, Young was unaware of her personal scoring best until it was announced by her teammates and coaching staff in the locker room. When asked about the presence of Davis, Young cracked a smile and said, “We’re happy he’s here. He’s so supportive and it’s great to play for him.”
Head Coach Bill Laimbeer has noticed Young’s growth on the court. “She learned a lot from Angel McCoughtry last season; particularly about pace and patience. She can also learn a lot from Chelsea Gray’s communication, too.
Wilson also made note of how the Aces’ focus on talking more on the court helped secure the win.
I mean the biggest thing, we just talked about communication. That’s what we needed to do. We didn’t shoot the best the first game. The second game everyone came out and hit shots and that’s really what you need to do to be a team like Seattle. — A’ja Wilson
Laimbeer echoed the need to enjoy each game of the WNBA 32-game season. During which, it isn’t uncommon for players to return late from or leave to play overseas mid-season to earn extra money. “I tell the team before we leave the locker room to go have fun.”
It sure looked to be a fun night for the Aces as the game was a complete reversal from the previous meeting just two days ago when the Storm stepped on the gas in the first quarter and dominated the Aces.
The theme of Tuesday night was balance. The trio of Wilson (18 points), Liz Cambage (18 points) and Young (21 points) led to victory and avoided an 0-2 hole to start the 2021 season. Cambage, Young and Kelsey Plum who has returned after missing the 2020 season due to injury, all had a +/- of over 19 points.
The biggest differences were that the team’s turned up the defensive intensity — plus the passing of newly-acquired All-Star guard, Chelsea Gray.
Wilson heaped praise on her teammate in her post-game interview on ESPN. “I mean that’s the point God! She does what she does and even when she’s not looking at us, we have to be ready, or she’s gonna hit us upside of the head with the basketball. She’s finally starting to find that chemistry, we’re getting along with her, and we’re just having a lot of fun out there.“
The Aces travel back to Las Vegas for its home opener against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, May 21. Game tip off time is 7:30 on CBS Sports Network.
The attendance capacity will be about 2,000, with the 2,000 Aces season ticketholders getting refunds for the season, so they can watch all the home games for free.
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