Aces escape with bounceback win against Liberty
The Aces were looking for a statement win. They didn’t get that Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, but they did prevail 107-101 against the New York Liberty, who handed them a 116-107 loss in the Aces’ final game before the All-Star break.
Against the Liberty, the Aces wanted to prove they were the team that went 13-2 to start the season, not the group which limped into All-Star weekend, going 2-5.
“It’s kind of like a new season,” point guard Kelsey Plum said. “I thought that we had some really good stretches, but we’re still yet to string together 40 minutes of good basketball.”
A 27-point night from Plum and a 23-point double-double from forward A’ja Wilson built the Aces a 24-point lead at halftime. However, a big third quarter from Liberty reserve Sami Whitcomb and clutch shooting from New York All-Star Sabrina Ionescu down the stretch made it a close game with less than three minutes remaining.
The composure of Aces wing Jackie Young was the deciding factor, allowing Becky Hammon’s team to escape with a win. It’s the third consecutive game the Aces have surrendered at least 100 points.
“Once again, my team has to figure out how we’re going to take a hit and maintain hits without losing all control,” Hammon said. “(We’ve got to) figure out how to stop the bleeding, so it doesn’t turn into a landslide.”
The Aces and Liberty will play at the Barclays Center again Thursday at 8 a.m.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Defense crumbles again
If Plum and the Aces (16-7) are looking for a full 40 minutes of cohesive, collective play, they got about half of it Tuesday.
The Aces held the Liberty to just 26.2 percent shooting from the field and 23.1 percent from 3 during the first half. New York also turned the ball over eight times, and Ionescu, who recorded the highest-scoring triple-double in WNBA history against the Aces on July 6, was limited to just five points.
The Aces forced her to play without the ball and threw several defensive looks at the former Oregon star, including a box-and-one.
With Ionescu contained, Whitcomb triggered the Liberty barrage. She was scoreless during the first half, but the Australian guard torched the Aces defense with 15 points in the third quarter, making 5 of her 6 3-point attempts.
Whitcomb also set up Ionescu, who hit shot after shot during the final stretch. She finished with 27 points.
“The third quarter is the one that bothers me,” Hammon said.
2. Free throws clinch game
With the Aces’ defense in shambles and the team struggling to score late, free throws became the most important part of the Aces’ offense.
Hammon’s team went 34 of 35 from the charity stripe. The Aces’ only miss came from Plum with 1:38 remaining. Wilson was a perfect 9 of 9 from the free-throw line.
“People attack us all the time,” Wilson said. “We had to flip the script a little bit, attack them, get to the line, build some momentum and get some free points.”
3. Young ices the game
Wilson may have benefited from the free throws early, but Young was the one who made them when it counted.
Young did everything the Aces required against the Liberty (9-14).
She made a tough mid-range jumper with a minute left and went a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line during the final 33 seconds on her way to 23 points. She also added five rebounds, three steals and seven assists, tying her season high.
“She has supreme confidence at the end of games,” Hammon said.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.
