Aces coach says perimeter defense must improve in Game 2

Becky Hammon is ready for the chess match. This is what the Aces coach lives for, the tactical adjustments and counters that make playoff basketball so intriguing.

The Aces technically had an off day Monday, but Hammon and her coaching staff spent the day locked in a conference room at the practice facility going over film. She doesn’t even know which players came in to shoot around.

“I know I heard balls bouncing out there,” she said. “I don’t know who it was.”

The top-seeded Aces and No. 2 New York Liberty are set to play Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday at Michelob Ultra Arena. The Aces lead the best-of-five series 1-0 after a 99-82 victory Sunday, but the Liberty haven’t lost consecutive games all season.

“What New York came in to do, that goal is still lying in front of them,” Hammon said. “And that’s to get one.”

The Aces pulled away late in Game 1 because of their perimeter defense. New York shot 31 percent on 3-pointers. It’s a significant drop-off for the WNBA’s best regular-season 3-point shooting team, which made 37.4 percent of its league-leading 1,187 3s.

All-Stars Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot and Breanna Stewart were a combined 4 of 14 on 3s in Game 1.

“Just made their shots difficult,” Aces point guard Chelsea Gray said. “Using our physicality to our advantage.”

Yet Hammon believes the Aces can still improve defensively on the perimeter. She said the Liberty missed some wide-open shots and guaranteed New York — and reigning 3-point contest winner Ionescu, in particular — will make those attempts going forward.

Hammon said she was uncomfortable with the amount of good looks Ionescu got on 3s in Game 1, and the Aces have seen her get hot in the past. Ionescu averaged 21.3 points during the four regular-season games between the Aces and Liberty. Hammon said guarding Ionescu requires concentration and awareness from the entire team.

“She’s still terrifying to have roaming around the court anywhere loose,” Hammon said. “She always has to have a body on her.”

One area in which Hammon can be pleased defensively was how the Aces locked in on Liberty reserve guard Marine Johannes in the second half. The French sharpshooter provided a majority of New York’s 3-point shooting after going 4 of 7 from deep, but was held scoreless after the break.

The Aces also had success against Vandersloot, the league’s top assist provider. New York coach Sandy Brondello said the Aces did a good job preventing Vandersloot from driving to the rim and collapsing the defense. She had six assists in Game 1 after averaging 8.1 in the regular season.

Instead, the Aces forced the pass-first guard to look for her own shot. Vandersloot shot 29.4 percent on 3s during the regular season and went 2 of 5 from beyond the arc in Game 1.

“They’re really effective when she is able to dish, and they have cutters,” Aces center Kiah Stokes said. “She can find them where they can get easy layups or wide-open 3s, and I think that was one of the biggest keys for us, just to limit the passing.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.