It was the long-awaited clash of the night in the WNBA, the first duel between the two “superteams”, the Las Vegas Aces, defending champions, and the New York Liberty, the new scarecrow in the WNBA landscape.
Unfortunately, this shock turned into a pure demonstration by the Las Vegas Aces who left no chance to their evening opponents by winning 98-81.
In a meeting where no player reached the 20-point mark, it was the collective that made the difference, and that of Las Vegas was well above. Indeed, the five holders of the Aces scored at least 14 points. In addition, Becky Hammon’s proteges shot 58% (40/69) including 43% from 3-pointers (9/21)!
“They were very effective tonight and hurt us in many areas. They are a well-oiled machine. conceded Sandy Brondello, Liberty coach. “We are all capable of defending. You just have to give everything in defense, because that’s what wins titles. Getting your ass kicked like that is a good thing after all. What we learn from this will be the key.”.
A “scary” team
However, Sandy Brondello’s players arrived in Las Vegas full of confidence and a four-game winning streak. But now, facing the Aces, the step was too high. Breanna Stewart’s teammates remained in contact during the first two quarters, before collapsing in the third (27-14).
At the start of the fourth quarter, the gap was already 20 points…
“We had a good game plan at the start. We didn’t execute it very well, but that’s partly down to what they did in front, how fluid they were.” justified Sandy Brondello. “They scored baskets on post-ups and mismatches. They are always in the right place. It’s a scary team.”.
In the end, the Las Vegas Aces never trailed the entire game. With this new success, the seventh in a row, they now bring their record to 14 wins for 1 defeat. Opposite, the Liberty concedes its fourth defeat of the season, and stagnates in third place in the league (10 wins – 4 losses).
Note that Marine Johannès compiled 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists off the bench for New York.
