3 takeaways from Aces’ 92-85 loss to Phoenix Mercury

The Aces got a firsthand look at what makes Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi arguably the greatest WNBA player ever.

Taurasi made seven 3-pointers and scored 26 of her 32 points in the first half, and the Mercury completed a season sweep over the Aces 92-85 on Tuesday night at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

“Taurasi obviously had a tremendous first half, but we weren’t in her space enough,” Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We weren’t playing a solid team defense or individual defense in the first half. That’s what they do. They make shots, and they feed off that. She leads them, but then the rest of them start making shots.”

Skylar Diggins Smith had 20 points and matched Taurasi’s seven assists, and the Mercury (10-7) went 14-for-32 from the 3-point line to win their fourth straight.

Jackie Young scored a career-high 20 points, and Dearica Hamby added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Las Vegas (12-4).

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

‘Great front-running team’

Laimbeer said he warned the Aces that Phoenix is a difficult team to come back against.

After the score was tied at 39 midway through the second quarter, Taurasi made three of the Mercury’s four 3-pointers in a 14-4 run in the next 3½ minutes. The Aces never got even again.

“They’re going to get a good shot every time, and that’s who they’ve been for years,” Laimbeer said. “They never turn the ball over hardly at all. You have to go out and beat them. They’re not going to beat themselves.”

3-pointers vs. free throws

The Aces aren’t much of a 3-point shooting team, so they try to make up the difference at the free-throw line.

They finished 18-for-21 on free throws, but 15 of those attempts were in the second half after the Mercury had built their lead. The Aces were also frustrated at the rim by 12 blocked shots.

“We didn’t let up on anything. We’ve got to continue to be aggressive and attack the basket,” said Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. “I don’t care if they’re blocking us every possession. We’ve got to continue to push and continue to attack.”

Brianna Turner spearheaded the Mercury’s defensive effort with 13 rebounds and five blocks.

Supporting cast makes late shots

The Aces got as close as four points on a Hamby layup with 7:46 left, but Kia Vaughn made three straight baskets for the Mercury and scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who scored 15, also hit a 3-pointer to make it a nine-point game with 5:46 left.

Up next

The Aces will meet the Connecticut Sun at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Aces won the first meeting 99-78 on Aug. 20.

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.