Aces lose WNBA series opener to Storm in final seconds
With six seconds remaining, Aces guard Kelsey Plum lined up a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
As guard Chelsea Gray prepared to inbound the ball, Plum flashed toward the sideline. Instead of passing to Plum, Gray launched the ball across the court to forward A’ja Wilson.
Plum quickly reversed toward the right wing and flew around a screen to lose her defender. Wilson delivered the pass, and Plum launched a 3.
The shot was long and bounced off the heel of the rim. The Seattle Storm grabbed the rebound as time expired, giving them a 76-73 victory Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinal series in front of a franchise playoff-record crowd of 9,944 at Michelob Ultra Arena.
“You make some, you lose some,” Gray said. “She’ll knock them down.”
Plum scored 20 points, but missed two shots and had a costly turnover in the final minute. Gray led the No. 1-seeded Aces with 21 points.
Jewell Loyd scored 26 and Breanna Stewart 24 for fourth-seeded Seattle, and Tina Charles had 13 points and 18 rebounds.
The loss was the Aces’ first since Aug. 4, snapping a six-game winning streak. Game 2 of the best-of-five series is at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
“We didn’t do some of the things we talked about,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. First-quarter struggles
The Aces didn’t have much offensive rhythm early. After getting a week off since sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in the first round, they were rusty in the first quarter.
They trailed 26-15 after the quarter, shooting 27.8 percent and going 2 of 10 on 3s. They were outrebounded 14-7, and Wilson shot 0 of 4 and was scoreless.
“We played tight,” Hammon said. “We played like the world was on our shoulders.”
2. Turnovers and transition defense
The Aces pushed the pace and ran in transition all season. But the Storm gave them a taste of their own medicine.
Seattle finished with 16 fast-break points. The Aces had zero. The Storm also converted 11 turnovers into 19 points.
“You can’t have an accumulation of those kinds of mistakes,” Hammon said.
The third quarter encapsulated the Aces’ struggles against Storm run-outs. After cutting the deficit to four points, the Aces were caught off guard by Seattle point guard Sue Bird, who launched a full-court pass to Loyd for an uncontested layup.
Two minutes later, Bird, who broke the WNBA record for playoff assists Sunday, did it again, as Loyd converted, was fouled and made the free throw.
“I thought we were in a hurry to win the game,” Hammon said.
Bird, who is retiring after the season, finished with 12 assists.
3. Gray vs. Loyd
Despite the mistakes and poor start, the Aces were still in the game and took their first lead with six minutes remaining.
Gray played a major role in the comeback. She scored eight points in the fourth quarter, getting to her spots and launching her step-back jumper.
“She’s just steady in the storm,” Hammon said. “She’s cool, calm, collected, and you know she’s going to get a good look.”
But every shot Gray made was matched by Loyd, who scored 10 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter. Her step-back midrange jumper with 35 seconds remaining were the final points of the game.
“She played great, especially down the stretch,” Plum said. “She’s a tough check. It’s not someone guarding her, it’s the whole team. We just have to be locked in on our schemes and be better for Game 2.”
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.
