Three takeaways from the Aces’ 88-73 win over Washington
The best way Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer could describe Saturday’s game was to say, “We got through this one.”
The Aces prevailed, outscoring the Washington Mystics 88-73 to post their seventh straight win. Jackie Young’s 16 points led a balanced attack that had five Aces in double figures.
“It was a tough slog,” Laimbeer said. “Everybody was thrown off their timetable for a 12 o’clock (EDT) start. I was tired, I’m sure the players are tired. We didn’t have that spring in our step. Maybe a nap in the afternoon would have gotten us there, but it wasn’t in the cards.”
The Aces (8-2) shot 53.6 percent and only two of their 10 turnovers came in the first half as they built their lead. The Mystics, who dropped their seventh straight, shot 38.2 percent, including 8-for-28 for 28.6 percent from the 3-point line, and turned it over 18 times.
Dearica Hamby had 14 points and five assists, A’ja Wilson and Sugar Rodgers added 12 points apiece. Angel McCoughtry had 11. Wilson also had four steal, and Danielle Robinson had seven assists.
Ariel Atkins scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half to lead Washington (3-7).
Here are three takeaways.
Blessing in disguise
Since they won it, the earliest start the Aces have on the schedule this season might have been a blessing in disguise. They’ll have their first day off in nearly two weeks Sunday and won’t play again until Tuesday night.
“It’ll be nice to just get some extra recovery in and prepare for Chicago on Tuesday,” Young said. “This is a much-needed break after games every other day for two weeks, so it’ll be nice just to let our bodies rest.”
The next-earliest start time for the Aces will be 3 p.m. EDT, which will come next Saturday, Aug. 22, against the league-leading Seattle Storm.
Taking care of the ball
Laimbeer has harped on the Aces cutting down their turnovers, and in a game against a reeling team like the Mystics, it was key to not give them any help.
The Aces turned the ball over 10 times, four under their season average, and didn’t have one until 17 minutes into the game. That helped them during a 16-3 run to end the first quarter and in maintaining a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
High and low for Meesseman
In the first meeting between the teams, an 83-77 Las Vegas win, Emma Meesseman scored a season-high 24 points and almost single-handedly kept the Mystics in the game.
Meesseman, last year’s WNBA Finals MVP, was held in check this time, scoring a season-low two points on 1-for-8 shooting.
“We switched a lot more on her, but they’re not playing well as a team,” Laimbeer said. “So you can focus more on a Meesseman and try to take her out of the game. I thought A’ja did a really good job early on, and then it just falls apart for a team like that.”
The Mystics were down to eight available players for Saturday’s game, and the Aces’ depth helped wear them down.
Up next
The Aces will meet the Chicago Sky at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Sky won the first meeting 88-86 in the season opener July 26.
Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.