Young’s big game lead Aces past Storm
In a back-and-forth first half against the Seattle Storm, reigning WNBA Most Improved Player Jackie Young gave the Aces some much-needed breathing room.
After eight lead changes and three ties through the game’s first 18 minutes, Young stepped up in the second quarter.
She scored nine of her game-high 28 points in the quarter and propelled the Aces to a 96-63 win over the Seattle Storm on Thursday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
“I think people tend to forget that Jackie is a No. 1 draft pick,” Aces forward A’ja Wilson said. “She’s performing like one. This is something that she’s worked on, and the growth that we’re seeing in her, it’s what she’s supposed to do.”
Young’s 3-pointer with over a minute before halftime capped off a 10-0 Aces run. They outscored the Storm 14-2 in the final 2:34 of the second quarter to take their first double-digit lead and they never looked back.
“My teammates were able to find me,” Young said. “(Seattle) was double-teaming them and I was the one they left open. I just have to be confident, knock down the shot and get to the basket.”
Young shot 67 percent from the field (12 of 18) and didn’t attempt a free throw. Only Aces coach Becky Hammon scored more points (30 in 2010) in a game in franchise history without going to the free-throw line.
Guard Kelsey Plum scored 19 points, and Wilson added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Aces (9-1). Forward Ezi Magbegor led the Storm (2-7) with 23 points.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
1. Aces clean up turnovers
Even while shooting 50 percent from the field in the first quarter, the Aces’ early lead was negated by six turnovers.
Seattle scored seven points off the turnovers and kept the game even at 17 after the first 10 minutes.
“We cleaned up what we needed to do at halftime, which was our turnovers,” Hammon said.
The Aces only gave up the ball twice early in the second quarter, Seattle didn’t score on either chance. The Aces committed just three turnovers in the second half.
2. Strong defensive ending
Hammon called a timeout midway through the second quarter when both teams were trading the lead.
She said she reminded her team of the importance of playing out of its defense to help with the offense. Her message got through to her players as they held the Storm to two points in the final 2:34 before halftime.
The Aces kept up their strong defensive play in the second half, outscoring the Storm by 23 points and holding them to 11 points in the fourth quarter.
“Everybody talks about offense, but I want people to start talking about our defense,” Hammon said.
3. Aces win bench battle
Storm guard Jewell Loyd leads the WNBA in scoring at 24.7 points per game entering Thursday, so it was expected Seattle would heavily rely on her.
But the Aces held Loyd to eight first-half points. While other starters helped, like Magbegor and guard Ivana Dojkic — who scored 16 points — the Storm had little aid from their bench.
The Aces outscored the Storm 20-1 on bench points. Aces reserve guard Kierstan Bell tied a career-high with 12 points as Hammon continues to incorporate the second-year guard more into the lineup.
“She’s slowly been playing the right way,” Hammon said of Bell. “Whatever minutes she’s gotten, she’s been super solid. That’s how you gain trust with me and your teammates.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.
