Aces have ‘a lot of work to do’ after loss to Liberty in season opener
NEW YORK — In front of a wall of seafoam green lights, smoke turned into fire surrounding a larger-than-life 2024 WNBA championship banner as it made its ascent to the rafters of Barclays Center.
Near the crowded court filled with celebrating players and personnel, the Aces were nowhere to be seen.
Liberty star Breanna Stewart looked at her latest WNBA championship ring and reflected on what it took for the franchise to reach the mountaintop for the first time.
Then, her mind turned to the visiting team.
“I was like, ‘All right. Stay in the now. This team is hungry and they want to come after us with everything that they got,’” Stewart said of her first thoughts once the Aces appeared — after handing them a 92-78 loss in the first game of the regular season for both teams.
For a moment in the defeat, the Aces looked like the formidable squad Stewart described. They survived the first quarter with a 20-19 lead in what coach Becky Hammon had accurately predicted would be a “dogfight.”
Hammon also said it would be a great test for the Aces, and the Liberty quickly took them to school. The champions outscored the Aces 28-13 in the second quarter, and every Aces run thereafter seemed like a futile attempt.
“We just have a lot of work to do. Plain and simple,” Hammon said. “I thought New York played well. They were the better team tonight. They outplayed us in basically every area.”
This isn’t the first time Hammon could’ve said that. The Aces are now 1-7 against the Liberty dating back to last season, which saw the Aces defeated by New York in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs.
More history for Wilson
Loud boos filled the arena when it was announced the Aces were introducing their starting lineup. Those were overpowered by cheers when A’ja Wilson’s name was called. The reigning MVP had 31 points and 16 rebounds, picking up right where she left off in her historic 2024 campaign.
She is now the sixth player in WNBA history to record 100 career double-doubles, and while she mentioned she hopes to appreciate such milestones now more than she did last year, she also said it wasn’t a consolation after the loss.
Like Hammon, Wilson turned to the educational potential of the competition.
“Not a good outing for us,” she said. “That only means we have a lot more work that we need to do, which is something I can go back to the drawing board and figure it out. … It’s just the beginning.”
The Liberty were led by Stewart’s 25 points, while Natasha Cloud had a breakthrough debut with 22.
The Aces’ need for more scoring support was on full display by halftime, as Wilson was 5-for-10 from the field (50 percent), and the rest of the roster was 7-for-30 (23.3 percent).
Defensive woes
The Aces were outscored a whopping 56-32 in the paint, which would seem to be an illustration of the Aces missing center Megan Gustafson (lower left leg), forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (pregnancy) and forward Crystal Bradford (suspension). Starter center Kiah Stokes also didn’t add a point to her seven rebounds.
But Hammon said the Aces were always going to be short-handed in the frontcourt and should’ve been able to defend drives from the perimeter. Her only concession was that the team is filled with new additions who are learning, which can slow things down defensively.
“It was like a layup drill today, so I’m super pissed about that,” Hammon said.
Guard play
After a dismal second quarter, the Aces won the third quarter 25-16.
Jackie Young was key in the period. She went from scoring five points in the first half to adding nine in the third. Her third 3-pointer of the period forced the Liberty to call a full timeout, as the Aces had come within five points of the lead at 55-50 with 4:33 left in the frame. She had 16 points to end the game.
“I think it starts on the defensive end,” Young said of the adjustment that led to her shot falling in the third.
Hammon agreed, saying that the third quarter was the only positive of the competition.
“The tale of the two quarters — of the second and the third — is what happens when we play defense and we’re locked in, and the difference of when we just follow people around,” she said.
Point guard Chelsea Gray scored 12 points, and new addition Dana Evans had 10 off the bench.
Jewell Loyd didn’t make a shot until the second quarter, finishing with five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
“Knowing Jewell, she’s not happy about herself,” Wilson said.
“She’s going to hit shots,” Young added. “I think her presence on the floor just speaks for itself, and we just have to get her involved. But we know anytime she has a goal, we have confidence in her.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
