Rookie center A’ja Wilson notched her fifth consecutive game scoring at least 20 points, but it wasn’t enough today, as the Atlanta Dream defeated the Las Vegas Aces, 87-83.
Playing in front of a matinee crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the Aces trailed by six points at halftime, but a lack of energy at the start of the third quarter allowed Atlanta to build its lead.
Atlanta used a 14-3 run early in the third to push its advantage to 52-37, and a Renee Montgomery 3-pointer gave the Dream a 59-41 lead with 4:58 left in the quarter. Las Vegas fought back within 67-57 at the end of the period, but the damage was done.
The Aces couldn’t get closer than seven points in the fourth quarter (until a meaningless 6-0 run in the final minute made the final score more respectable), as Tiffany Hayes scored 24 and Angel McCoughtry scored 23 to lead the Dream.
Wilson pointed to the Aces’ lethargic play at the start of the second half as the turning point in the game.
“It was tough to watch, honestly,” Wilson said. “Our energy wasn’t where it needed to be, especially coming out of halftime. Basketball is a game of runs, so we really couldn’t get down on ourselves, because that’s when the other team picks up momentum.
“We have to find our energy,” Wilson said. “It’s tough. I put that on me. I do. I play a huge part and my energy is big for this team, and I have to continue to bring it day-in and day-out for 40 minutes, and I think I kind of get down on myself at times and I miss out on that. That [run] definitely taught me that we all need to be in it for 40 minutes and we have to give the energy.”
Las Vegas in now 1-6 on the season, with four consecutive road games coming up in the next seven days. Atlanta improved to 4-3.
Second-year point guard Kelsey Plum got her first start of the season but failed to score in 15 minutes. The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s WNBA Draft went 0-of-4 from the field and did not play in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Bill Laimbeer has said Plum’s 3-point shooting will be an important part of the team’s offense, but she is still learning the playbook after missing training camp and joining the Aces late due to her overseas contract.
“Today she was a little off,” Laimbeer said. “She didn’t get us into the stuff, she went to the wrong spots. It comes from missing training camp. Nothing I can do about that. Time will hopefully get her acclimated to what we’re trying to get done.”
Plum said she has to catch up faster and sounded confident she’ll find her stride soon.
“I missed camp, but it’s not an excuse,” Plum said. “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to figure out things faster and if I make a mistake, not let it happen again and let it continue to affect my game. I didn’t do a very good job tonight and that’s something I’ll take into the next game.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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