3 takeaways from Aces’ rout of Sun: Another third-quarter rampage

Coach Becky Hammon calls them honest words. A’ja Wilson calls them cuss-outs.

Whatever the Aces decide to call Hammon’s halftime speeches, one worked again during Saturday’s 102-84 dismantling of the Connecticut Sun at Michelob Ultra Arena.

“She really shows us what we’re doing wrong,” Wilson said. “And then you want to go out and correct it because that’s the whole point.”

A 17-0 third-quarter run led by Wilson helped the Aces (15-1) roll past the Sun (12-5), who entered the game as the No. 1 team in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference on winning percentage. The Aces enjoyed their second-highest scoring output of the season, trailing only their 105 points in the season opener at Seattle.

Guard Kelsey Plum, named an All-Star reserve earlier in the day, led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Wilson scored 23 to go with 13 rebounds, and Candace Parker added 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Aces.

The Aces have won eight consecutive games and remain undefeated at home.

“It was an early game today, of course, and I thought it took us a minute to get going,” Hammon said. “But I don’t want to play or ease our way into things, especially on the defensive end.”

All-Star wing DeWanna Bonner led the Sun with 19 points. Connecticut starting wing Tiffany Hayes was ejected midway through the third quarter after appearing to flash money signs at a referee after being called for a foul.

The Aces have a few days off before hosting the Dallas Wings at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. Missing center

This Sun team is different from the one that handed the Aces their only loss of the season, 94-77 on June 8 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Reigning sixth player of the year Brionna Jones, who scored 12 points and had nine rebounds in that Sun victory, tore her Achilles tendon June 20 and will miss the rest of the season. She had seamlessly stepped into a starting role for coach Stephanie White, helping to mitigate the loss of former MVP Jonquel Jones in free agency.

Without Brionna Jones, the Sun went small Saturday, but simply didn’t have an answer for Parker and Wilson in the low post.

“Bri is a huge part of their offense, their glue,” Wilson said.

2. Third-quarter explosion

The Aces blitzed their opponents out of halftime for the second consecutive game, winning the third quarter 25-15. Wilson and Plum each scored nine points, and the team shot 44 percent from the field. The Aces went on an 11-0 run against the New York Liberty out of halftime during their 98-81 win Thursday.

The Aces forced six Sun turnovers in the third quarter, which they turned into seven points. Plum credited the team’s focus and improved conditioning for their recent third-quarter takeovers.

“Everyone’s taken it upon themselves to take it to the next level,” Plum said. “I feel like that’s a big part of why we’re able to turn on the gas and sustain it.”

3. Parker settling in

Parker, the two-time league MVP, is still averaging a career-low in scoring at 9.1 points per game during her 16-game stint with the Aces, but Saturday was another sign of her growing comfort in the team’s offense.

Parker has now scored 15 points — her season-high mark — in three of her past four games. She also added eight assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block and went 6 of 7 on two-point field goals.

Hammon said the team wants Parker to keep shooting 3s, but said the team has put a concerted effort into getting her touches in the low post.

“We’ve really focused on getting her into some spots where I think she can be successful, and in turn we’re successful,” Hammon said. “She’s just ultra-deadly if she gets in that paint area.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.