Arlington, Texas — You know those sayings that your parents would always repeat when you were growing up? Reminders or warnings, like don’t eat candy before bed or go swimming without sunscreen? Those are all rules we learned when we were little so that we could be more successful.
Those same reminders and rules of thumb exist in the world of basketball. One, in particular, is about scoring. Almost everyone knows it’s a kiss of death if you only have two double-digit scorers in a game. Rarely do teams pull off a victory without a good spread of points, as anyone who watched the Cleveland Cavaliers this season would understand.
The team that didn’t listen and got “sunburnt” yesterday was the Las Vegas Aces, as they lost to the Dallas Wings 77-67 with only 2 scorers in double digits.
As a team who is in the midst of a rebuild and a makeover, the Aces have struggled this season in consistency on offense. They were able to snag the number one draft pick in A’ja Wilson, but Wilson is still growing her own game and needs offensive leaders in order to make an impact how she wants to.
With this game, the Aces finished up a 4-game road trip, finishing 2-2. Wilson spoke on that, saying how even though they were fatigued they were able to learn some lessons along the way.
“Of course, we would have loved to go 4-0, but 2-2 I feel like that’s something that surprised a lot of people, and I think that we grew from it, and that’s what it’s all about,” Wilson said. “In this league, like coach always says, it doesn’t stop. So, for us to keep going and keep growing, I think there’s a bright future for us.”
The Ace’s guard Kayla McBride, was the main one who carried the weight of the game for the Las Vegas team, finishing with 22 points and scoring on multiple tough shots, but her 22 points along with Wilson’s 14 were not enough to hold back a talented and well-rounded Dallas Wings roster.
“Well, I told the players after the game that I thought it was a solid road trip for us. We played quality teams, got a couple of wins, but we’ve got to learn the mental part of the game,” Aces Head Coach Bill Lambier said. “Every possession counts. Tonight, we got a little mentally fatigued and it cost us.”
On the opposite side of court, the Dallas Wings were able to tally four players finishing in double digits, with Liz Cambage leading the way with a monster double-double performance. Cambage led all scorers with 28 points and 18 rebounds, while Skylar Diggins-Smith was right on her heels finishing with 20 points. Kaela Davis and Glory Johnson contributed 10 and 11 points, respectfully.
“She is capable of being a double-double player,” the Wings’ Head Coach Fred Williams stated on Cambage’s impact. “Each game, she gets into the rhythm of scoring with her offensive moves and shooting touch. That’s the reason why we signed her — scoring and rebound. She demonstrated that tonight.”
