Massive Crowd Packs Mandalay Bay’s Arena, But Las Vegas Aces Lose Game 1 Of WNBA Semis To Seattle Sunday

August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 Alan Snel A'ja Wilson, Becky Hammon, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Mark Davis, Noelle Quinn, Steve Sisolak, Sue Bird, Tina Charles

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and Raiders president Sandra Morgan at Aces game Sunday.

Raiders coach Mark Davis in white blazer and Josh McDaniels, Raiders coach, sit side-by-side at Aces games.

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Story by Cassandra Cousineau and Alan Snel Photos by Arnie Bazemore and Omer Kahn

The Las Vegas Aces came out sluggishly against the Seattle Storm before a sold out crowd of 9,944 at Mandalay Bay and the slow start was costly in Game 1 of the WNBA Semis Sunday.

The Aces climbed back to actually lead by a point in the fourth quarter, 65-64, on a Riquna Williams three-pointer but it was Seattle that closed the deal, 76-73, and grabbed the series opener of the Best of 5 matchup.

Game 2 is Wednesday back here at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“I thought we played tight to start the game. We played like we had the world on our shoulders,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said in the post-game presser.

Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson. Photo credit: Omer Kahn

Put simply, the Aces folded down the stretch after leading, 71-68, with 3:44 remaining. The Aces made only one of five shots down the stretch with three turnovers to close out the game.

That’s a very seasoned team. That team has won championships together. They start four Olympians. — Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon

The Aces trailed, 13-4, after six minutes and, 26-15, after the first quarter.

They spent the rest of the game trying to catch up.

By the end of the three quarters, the Aces had sliced the Storm lead to three points, with Seattle holding a 60-57 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Aces’ A’ja Wilson attempts to block a shot in the first half. Photo credit: Omer Kahn

Midway through the final quarter, in a battle of MVP candidates, Seattle’s Breanna Stewart was outscoring Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson, 24-8, as the two teams were only a point apart. That’s how their point totals ended, too.

“Our defense today was really good. We were in mismatches a lot,” Stewart said after the game.

Breanna Stewart had a solid game. Photo credit: Omer Kahn

Seattle is much more than Stewart and popular point guard Sue Bird. Seattle’s Jewell Loyd showed she’s a money player by sinking a key jumper over Wilson late in the game. And Seattle center Tina Charles provided the inside presence, snaring 18 boards.

Stat of the game: The Storm outscored Aces 16-0 in fast break points.

Chelsea Gray scored 21 points. Photo credit: Omer Kahn

The Aces chipped away at Seattle’s double-digit lead, trailing, 36-32, with 2:06 left in the first half. But Seattle scored five straight and led, 41-32, with 50 seconds left in the second quarter.

“Because of our screens and switches that allowed guards to go against bigs we were able to keep the ball out of A’ja’s hands,” Seattle Storm coach Noelle Quinn said after Wilson scored only eight points.

Loyd led all scorers with 26 points, while Stewart provided 24. Loyd was clutch, scoring 10 points over the final 10 minutes, as Seattle scored 7 points off of 5 Las Vegas turnovers.

Loyd had a big game. Photo credit: Omer Kahn

Gray came to play. The savvy Aces guard scored 21 points.

Aces first-team all-WNBer Kelsey Plum missed a potential tying three-pointer at the end of the game. She scored 20 points on 8-for-23 shooting, but made only two of 10 three balls.