The Las Vegas Aces didn’t just beat the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night. They mugged them in the first half and made it look easy.
By the time the second quarter ended at Michelob ULTRA Arena, the defending champions had turned a close game into a 20-point lead. The final score wasn’t the story. The way the Aces smothered Golden State from deep was.
Las Vegas held the Valkyries to 1 of 15 from three-point range in the first half. That’s 6.7 percent. According to ESPN Insights, that’s the fourth-worst three-point percentage in any first half this WNBA season. And here’s the thing — it wasn’t just that Golden State missed. The Aces contested 12 of those 15 attempts. On the ones they didn’t contest, the Valkyries went 1 of 3. So basically, if there was a hand in their face, they couldn’t buy a bucket.
The Aces flipped a switch after the first quarter
Golden State actually led 23-17 after the first quarter. That didn’t last. The Aces held them to 13 points in the second quarter while dropping 27 of their own. The game was effectively over at halftime.
Cecilia Zandalasini and Gabby Williams each scored in double digits for the Valkyries — 12 and 10 points respectively — but they were the only starters to get there. Kaitlyn Chen added 11 off the bench. That was it. Three players in double figures. Against a team like Las Vegas, that’s not nearly enough.
Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson did A’ja Wilson things: 19 points and nine rebounds. Jackie Young led all scorers with 21. Chelsea Gray stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points and nine assists. NaLyssa Smith dropped 15. Jewell Loyd came off the bench for 11. The Aces had five players reach double digits before the fourth quarter was halfway done.
With under two minutes left in the game, Las Vegas was up by 23. The outcome was never in doubt after that second quarter. The Aces locked in on defense, the Valkyries couldn’t find any rhythm, and the champs rolled to another blowout win at home.
Leave a Comment