Aces 3-game winning streak ends with loss to Connecticut Sun

Aces coach Bill Laimbeer isn’t sure if Las Vegas would have beaten the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday had guard Kelsey Plum played in its 75-67 loss.

But he certainly would have liked the opportunity to find out.

“It’s not an excuse for us losing the game. We could have won this game had we played our game,” Laimbeer said. “Kelsey pushes the ball for us. Gets us going. Very energetic out there. … Across the board, she really could have helped us. “

Plum rejoined the Aces in Connecticut after helping USA Basketball’s three-on-three team qualify for the Olympics in Austria, but WNBA protocols barred her from playing and Las Vegas fell at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Aces center Liz Cambage scored a season-high 28 points for Las Vegas. Teammate A’ja Wilson scored 14.

But the Aces didn’t make a 3-pointer, and the Sun clogged the paint down the stretch, making quality offense hard to come by. Plum plays at a brisk pace and is a career 38.7 3-point shooter who helps space the floor for Cambage and Wilson and create driving lanes for the other perimeter players.

The Aces (5-3) are hopeful that she can play Thursday against the New York Liberty. Laimbeer was critical of the league’s protocols before the game and said “nobody really understands the logic behind” why Plum wasn’t allowed to play.

“There must have been a bad protocol with (USA Basketball) or something,” said the coach, explaining that the WNBA prevented the Aces from paying Plum while she was abroad. “It’s really kind of embarrassing how they’re brutalizing and penalizing these Olympic athletes.”

“She can sit in the stands, but she can’t play in the game or sit on the bench. Go figure that one out,” he added. “Later on, we’ll start talking about the archaic rules they have in place.”

That said, the Aces did credit the Sun for dictating the tempo Tuesday the way did in their first meeting last Sunday. Connecticut (7-2) played through 6-foot-6-inch forward Jonquel Jones on the block and in pick-and-rolls, utilizing long, deliberate possessions to slow the pace of the play.

Jones scored 23 points and helped protect the rim on defense. Cambage was unstoppable in the low post, but the Aces’ offense stagnated late in the fourth quarter without transition to turn to.

“They slowed us down. We’re a running team,” said Cambage, who made 11 of 17 field goals, adding seven rebounds and three blocks. “We’re still finding our feet. We’re still finding our chemistry. They’ve been the same for a minute. We’re just warming up. Come the end of the season, it’s going to be a different story.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.