Feisty Crowd of 8,405 Watches Aces Lose, 116-107, To New York Liberty As Las Vegas Slumps To 15-7 On The Season
Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionscu hit a short jumper with about 30 seconds left in the Liberty-Las Vegas Aces game and waved to the loud crowd in Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay Wednesday.
And then with eight seconds left in the Liberty-Aces game, Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon was already lining up to shake hands with the Liberty coaches.
The slumping Aces lost to the visiting Liberty, 116-107, after New York outscored Las Vegas, 33-23, in the fourth quarter. The Aces have lost five of their last seven games, going from 13-2 to 15-7 into the WNBA All-Star break.
It was a disappointing defeat for Las Vegas, which put up 107 points only to be outscored by nine points by a New York team that improved to 9-12 and was red-hot from three-point land.
Hammon lamented the defensive performance, especially in the final five minutes of the game.
Aces center A’ja Wilson said after the game, “We have to find a way to adapt and adjust in the flow of the game.”
Wilson said the All-Star Game break comes at a good time for the team to step away for a while and then return to “find a way to grind it out.”
It was a spirited announced crowd of 8,405.
The flashy Ionescu scored 31 points for New York, while the Aces were led by A’ja Wilson with 29 points and fellow All-Star Jackie Young added 24 points. Kelsey Plum had 18 points and Iliana Rupert contributed 13 off the bench for the Aces.
The loud crowd included UFC bossman Dana White, who sat courtside with his crew.
