By Shawn McCullough
The Aces lost their first game of the season in a 98-88 defeat to the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob Ultra Arena.
“They came in and punched us in the mouth”, said Aces head coach Becky Hammon. “We didn’t deserve to win the game”.
The Mercury got 37 points from forward Kahleah Cooper, while Sug Sutton added 12 points off the bench.
“I’m really happy how some of our bench players played”, said Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts. “We have nine players and we are going to play them every night”.
Guard Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 27 points, going seven for 14 from three-point range, while guard Jackie Young added 23 points.
A’ja Wilson scored 21 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
“We were not good defensively”, said Wilson. “This was a good test for us, because we are not there defensively”.
Guard Chelsea Gray remained out with a lower left leg injury, while guard Kierstan Bell was also out with a lower right leg injury.
With the loss, Las Vegas fell to 2-1 on the season.
The Aces will next play at home on Saturday against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
Las Vegas Aces – http://aces.wnba.com
Game Notes:
The Aces shot just 42.3% from the field, while Phoenix shot 47.4%.
Las Vegas went 11 for 31 from three-point range.
Each team equally pulled down 39 rebounds.
Game Starters:
C – 22 A’ja Wilson
F – 41 Kiah Stokes
F – 7 Alysha Clark
G – 10 Kelsey Plum
G – 0 Jackie Young
Aces Injury Report:
Chelsea Gray, Out, Lower Left Leg
Kierstan Bell, Out, Lower Right Leg
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