FSM Essential Recap: Aces vs Wings - Game 30

FSM Essential Recap: Aces vs. Wings – Game 30

Franchise Sports Media

Las Vegas Aces (22-8) | Dallas Wings (13-18)

 

 

In a rare weekday matinee game, the Las Vegas Aces hosted the Dallas Wings as they looked to pull one win closer to securing a double-bye ahead of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs.

 

RECAP:

 

The regular season’s home finale began with an evenly-contested bout throughout the first few minutes of action. Jackie Young remained hot after setting a new career-high in points during the Aces’ previous game, while Dallas’ offense was clicking on all cylinders early on, too. Having had two forgetful games against Las Vegas earlier in the season, Arike Ogunbowale shook free and scored eight of the first 17 points for the Wings as they took an early 17-11 lead.

Alisha Gray also found her way to eight quick points through cross-screens and baseline cuts that the Aces struggled to defend. Despite A’ja Wilson’s best efforts to keep the score close, the Wings put together an 8-2 run to close the first quarter with a 29-19 advantage.

The sloppy play continued for the Aces to begin the quarter before a right-handed score by A’ja Wilson cut their deficit to just six points. However, Dallas responded with seven unanswered points out of a timeout to take a 13-point lead — their biggest of the afternoon. But Vegas continued to scratch and claw their way through the drag of a first half to keep the score close. Although with every ounce of momentum that Vegas grabbed, the Wings continued to quiet the crowd. Marina Mabery and Arike Ogunbowale put the closing touches on a beautifully played first half by the Dallas Wings, who led 45-36 after two.

Ogunbowale stuck to her first-half script and thrived as an off-the-ball scorer, curling at the elbows and dribbling into pull-up jumpers. Meanwhile, the Aces continued to struggle on offense — they began the quarter just 2/7 before Bill Laimbeer inserted Kelsey Plum into the game midway through the third.

Plum instantly drew and converted an and-one before putting in a similar layup on the following possession to trim the Dallas lead to five. She then sunk consecutive threes to narrow the deficit to one point. A free-throw-line jumper from A’ja Wilson gave Vegas all the momentum and their first lead since the game’s opening minutes. They’d grab a 61-57 lead and ride the third-quarter energy into the fourth.

Kelsey Plum took the game by the horns and refused to let go. Three fourth-quarter threes brought her total to 28 on the game and gave the Aces an 11-point advantage midway through the fourth. Dallas threw a few final punches down the stretch to try and crawl back in, but a driving lefty-layup from Wilson gave her 21 points and slammed the door shut as the Aces rolled to an 85-75 win after an early scare.

 

 

POSITIVES:

 

Kelsey Plum – Another 30-point performance from Kelsey Plum added to her Sixth Woman of the Year claim. She started slow but scored 26 second-half points to ignite a near-dead Aces offense in the third quarter and bring them to victory.

The pass, the handle and the finish 🔥@cgray209 // @_ajawilson22 pic.twitter.com/IuaOp7suWm

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 13, 2021

Second Half Defense – Ogunbowale and Gray hammered Las Vegas in the first quarter as the Wings scored 29 points, but Dallas remained mostly in check from that point on — scoring under 20 points in each following quarter.

 

 

NEGATIVES:

Early Defense – Especially in the early-going, Las Vegas looked extremely confused on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas continuously cut backdoor and executed off the ball to uncontested shots at the rim. Fortunately, coach Laimbeer employed some defensive adjustments after the first quarter.

Offensive Woes – If your name wasn’t A’ja Wilson, you probably struggled to make much of an impact offensively in the first half— at least on the Aces’ side. Wilson (5-10) and Hamby (1-2) were the only two players to shoot above 50 percent from the floor through two quarters, although Riquna Williams’ 10 points on 3-7 shooting shouldn’t be overlooked. If it weren’t for Plum’s 26 points in the second half, the story might have been similar to the first.

 

LVA vs DAL 9/13 HighlightsThe Aces will look to avenge a recent loss to the Chicago Sky on Friday, September 17th. A win would secure them a top-2 seed and a double-bye during the WNBA Playoffs. Tune into NBATV at 5:00 p.m. PST to follow the action live, and make sure to catch the next recap here at Franchise Sports Media.

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