FSM Essential Recap: Aces vs Sky - Game 27

FSM Essential Recap: Aces vs. Sky – Game 27

Franchise Sports Media

Las Vegas Aces (20-7) | Chicago Sky (14-14)

 

 

The Aces faced the Sky for the first time this season and were able to weather a Chicago second-half storm in order to pull off a 90-83 win. 

 

RECAP:

Buckets were not hard to come by in the early going as an up-tempo pace resulted in a 17-12 lead for the Aces — powered by Riquna Williams’ seven and A’ja Wilson’s six. The action’s only stoppage occurred on a controversial block/charge call that gave Chelsea Gray her second foul of the quarter. But play resumed with Williams canning another three after two Kahleah Copper free throws.

Chicago grew cold from the field over the final minutes of the quarter, and the Aces capitalized with a 14-2 run, which was highlighted by a spectacular Kelsey Plum hesitation dribble-drive for a lefty layup. Plum followed one spectacular score with another by draining a contested three from the left corner just before the first-quarter buzzer sounded — giving Vegas a 31-14.

After nearly four minutes of gameplay, the Sky pounded the ball inside early to Stefanie Dolson for their first points. Candace Parker drained a three from the top of the key moments later — her second of the night — which led to three more from the Sky, who trimmed their deficit to eleven points. But consecutive nifty passes by Gray brought the Aces’ lead back to 17, and the 5,150 in attendance to their feet. Plum kept her foot in the gas as the lead ballhandler upon Gray picking up her third foul on yet another block/charge situation. The half ended with Courtney Vandersloot capitalizing at the charity stripe, and Las Vegas took a 16-point lead into the locker room.

Back-to-back feeds from Candace Parker to Kahleah Copper led to five quick points for the Sky to begin the third frame, and then Parker made seven after converting on two free throws. The Aces responded with ten unanswered points to bring their lead to 19 — their largest of the night. However, in a game full of runs, Chicago returned an 8-0 spurt of their own and dwindled the Aces’ lead to eleven before a frustrated Bill Laimbeer called a timeout. A once 19-point Aces lead was trimmed to four by the quarter’s end, as Vandersloot and Parker leading the way for the Sky.

Las Vegas’ lead suddenly stood at just one point after Candace Parker bombed away from the top of the arc for the opening basket of the quarter, and Dolson drilled a three shortly after to give the Sky their first lead of the half. The reigning MVP, A’ja Wilson, responded with a beautiful up-and-under to even the score. Parker caught fire, and so did Wilson, while Chelsea Gray had some fun moments; back and forth they went as the stars shined bright for each team.

However, Riquna Williams delivered some crucial points down the stretch — knocking down two free throws from a clear path penalty and then pulling up for two from the midrange. Chelsea Gray finished things off with a middy of her own, which was good enough to put the game out of reach. The Aces would win 90-83.

 

 

 

POSITIVES:

A Quick-Start –  Unlike most of their recent games, Las Vegas threw the first punch and sustained a comfortable lead throughout the entirety of the first half. Both Las Vegas’ offense and defense were crisp, and it made an excellent Sky team look pedestrian for long periods.

That was filthy KP!!@Kelseyplum10 // #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/hyIA2mOSpU

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 3, 2021

Fill-ins – It was announced Wednesday afternoon that the Aces would be without the services of both Liz Cambage (health and safety protocols) and Dearicy Hamby (ankle) for Thursday night’s matchup with the Chicago Sky, so other players would have opportunities to step up. Kiah Stokes got the start and was extremely solid in Cambage’s place. She chipped in a few field goals and was a presence on the glass throughout her minutes.

 

NEGATIVES:

Turnovers – Poor offensive possessions kept the Aces from breaking this game wide open. Every time they extended a lead to a large margin, turnovers and lazy mechanics would give Chicago life. The third quarter was the most prominent example of this when the Sky trimmed a 19-point lead to four over just a few minutes.

 

The Aces travel to Chicago to take on the the Sky on Sunday, September 5th. Follow the action live on ABC at 12:00 p.m. PST, and remember to check back for the next recap.

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