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Story by Cassandra Cousineau and Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
There were All-Stars and Olympians galore on the court in Las Vegas Thursday night, but it were the Las Vegas Aces who delivered a decisive win over the New York Liberty at Mandalay Bay Thursday evening.
The Aces were red hot in the second half and extended a 49-42 lead to a 98-81 beatdown over the revamped Liberty.
The defending champs have won 14 of their first 15 games, while New York dropped to 10-4. The Aces reported attendance at 9,587. Las Vegas has won its first eight home games this season.
Here’s a postgame comment worth listening to:
Despite the pregame hype, the Aces were takin of business tonight, said Kelsey Plum, the Aces’ high-scoring guard.
The topic of air travel also came up.
The Aces are cashing in on their championship season, as attendance at Michelob Ultra Arena has soared over last year’s crowd numbers.
The Aces led the Liberty, 49-42, at the half, with the Plum Dog barking up a storm with 15 points and five assists.
It was a marquee game for the WNBA, with the 13-1 Aces facing the 9-3 Liberty. Both teams were loaded with big-name stars, with MVPs A’ja Wilson and Candance Parker on the Aces and former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones on the Liberty. Both Wilson and Stewart are captains of the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas July 15.
The Aces scored the first 11 points out of the halftime break and led 60-42 in the third quarter before the Liberty trailed, 64-48, midway through the third period.
The Aces built the lead to 70-51 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter.
And the Aces’ lead ballooned to 23 points in the fourth quarter at 81-58 and then 85-60.
The Aces play the Connecticut Sun at 12 noon Saturday here at Michelob Ultra Arena.