The Las Vegas Aces defeated the visiting Indiana Fever easily on Saturday night, but Aces coach Becky Hammon isn’t resting on the team’s laurels.
Conversely, the Fever weren’t discouraged by their weekend performance against the defending WNBA champions, who are this season’s leaders as well.
The teams will meet again Monday, also in Los Angeles, after the Aces’ 101-88 victory.
“Definitely some things we’re going to come back and take a look at defensively,” Hammon said after her team’s fifth consecutive victory. “It’s always tough to beat a team twice in a row, so we’re going to have to have that lock-in factor in this next game.”
A’ja Wilson led the Aces (12-1) with 28 points, while Kelsey Plum added 26, including 12 in the third quarter while Wilson was in foul trouble. Candace Parker had her highest-scoring game with the Aces (15 points) and Chelsea Gray had 13 points and 12 assists. All five starters scored in double figures.
“That’s what makes a good team,” Plum said. “It’s not just one player. It’s anyone, any given night, any quarter.”
NaLyssa Smith led Indiana (5-8) with 26 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season, and rookie Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, scored 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
“We lost by 13, but I think our breakdowns are things we can watch on film (Sunday) and clean up,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “That’s the scary part. I appreciate that our players are playing so hard. This Vegas team is beating people by 25, 30 points.”
Kristy Wallace came off the bench to score 13 points, but Indiana trailed by 14 at halftime and didn’t get within single digits in the second half.
“You don’t get a do-over with them,” Sides said of the Aces. “They are so talented that if you take one breath, and you stop for one second, they’re going to make you pay.”
–Field Level Media