Aces rebound from opening loss, hit 100 in easy win
After letting a win slip through their fingers in the season opener, the Aces made sure they didn’t let up Wednesday night against Atlanta.
A’ja Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Dearica Hamby scored 20 and the Aces never trailed in beating the Dream 100-70 in Bradenton, Florida.
“We’re not 0-22. Every coach to start the season worries about when they’re going to get their first win,” Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said. “I thought our team played an outstanding defensive basketball game, executing our game plan across the board. It was a lot of fun to watch.”
Kayla McBride scored 14 points, Angel McCoughtry 12 and Lindsay Allen 11 for the Aces. Elizabeth Williams led Atlanta (1-1) with 16 points.
Here’s three takeaways from the win:
1. 3-point shooting on point
The Aces went 6-for-9 from 3-point range, a huge turnaround from the opener when they missed all five of their 3-pointers in an 88-86 loss to Chicago.
Hamby made both of her 3-point tries, and McBride hit two after going 0-for-7 from the floor Sunday.
“Last game we didn’t hit any, so I think we have to continue to shoot them,” Hamby said. “We normally the past few years have shot a good percentage, we just haven’t been able to actually get them up.”
The Aces also defended the 3-point shot well, holding Atlanta to a 5-for-28 night.
2. Dominating the boards
Playing without 6-foot-8-inch center Liz Cambage this season, the Aces weren’t sure how they would fare on the boards.
But they’ve been dominant. They outrebounded Chicago 42-33 and Atlanta 47-25.
“That’s been our game play, just dominate the boards,” McCoughtry said. “When we dominate the boards, we can get out in transition and get our shots.”
3. Give them a break
One aspect of playing 22 games in 49 days is going to be finding ways to get players rest.
A blowout helped the Aces. All 10 players got into the game and scored, and nobody played more than 27 minutes. That will be especially important on nights when a team plays a day game two days after a late-night game.
“Managing players’ minutes is going to be the challenge for every coach,” Laimbeer said. “They’re not even close to being in game shape, so you really want to manage their minutes and avoid any dumb injuries. You want to keep them fresh and not overburden them.”
Up next: The Aces will face the Phoenix Mercury at 7 p.m. Friday.
Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.