The Las Vegas Aces entered Sunday’s game as the highest-scoring first-half team in the WNBA. The second half has been a different story.
But Aces coach Becky Hammon vowed to fix that problem after Thursday’s loss to Dallas, and her team followed through with a 91-81 victory over the Golden State Valkyries (5-3) at Chase Center in San Francisco.
A’ja Wilson had 28 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocks to lead Las Vegas, and Jackie Young emerged from a shooting slump by hitting five 3-pointers and posting 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
“We’re still figuring out how good we can be,” Hammon said, noting that defense has been a problem in her team’s losses this season. “We’ve been working really hard on our defense. We’ve got to continue to work on that, but today was a good start.”
Golden State finished with 34 percent shooting from the field while turning the ball over 12 times.
The score stayed close in a first half that featured 12 lead changes and no advantage larger than five points. Golden State nailed five 3-pointers in the first quarter, but Wilson scored 13 points to carry the Aces through the half. Her free throw with 36 seconds remaining gave Las Vegas (5-3) a 43-41 halftime lead.
Wilson continued to dominate in the third quarter, as Las Vegas scored the first seven points to go up 50-41. But Wilson also emphasized her team’s improved defensive performance.
“When we look back at the games we lost, when we look at the games we could be better, it’s the second half that really took us out of games,” she said. “We wanted to make sure we could string together quarters, particularly in the third quarter. It has not been our best.”
Young provided the kill by scoring 11 points in just over two minutes late in the third, and her 15-foot jumper with 2:02 left in the quarter extended the lead to 68-50.
The run helped Young break the 3,500 career point mark. She finished the game as the leagues’ 24th player to combine 3,500 points with 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.
“I trust her work,” Hammon said of Young. “Sometimes I think I trust her work more than she trusts her work. It was just a typical Jackie game.”
Las Vegas outscored the Valkyries 29-13 in the quarter and led by as many as 24 points.
NaLyssa Smith (15 points, nine rebounds) scored seven points in the fourth quarter to help the Aces secure the win. She started in place of Jewell Loyd, who was out with a leg injury.
Hammon became the second-fastest coach to reach her 150th coaching victory in the league with the win.
“I didn’t really know about the landmark,” she said. “I think what jumps off the page more than anything is not just the wins but how much I enjoy the process.”
Golden State emptied its bench midway through the fourth quarter, and the subs got hot from 3-point range to log an 11-0 run that made the final minutes uncomfortable for the Aces. But Wilson erased all doubts by hitting free throws down the stretch.
Gabby Williams led Golden State with 20 points and four rebounds.
The Aces finish their road trip against the Los Angeles Sparks at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
