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The New York Liberty emerged victorious against the Las Vegas Aces with a score of 79-67 in their first home game since the Olympics.
Coach Becky Hammon expressed her displeasure during the post-game press conference, stating, “We had multiple people go just frickin’ rogue. And it looks incredibly selfish because it is.”
Coach Hammon further highlighted that the game exposed defensive issues rather than offensive shortcomings.
Las Vegas Aces Start Strong In First Quarter Before Defensive Troubles
The game began with high energy as Chelsea Gray, A’Ja Wilson, and Kelsey Plum sank a couple of 3-pointers.
As the second quarter progressed, the New York Liberty closed the gap and eventually took the lead after Jonquel Jones scored a crucial basket, giving them an advantage over the Aces.
Related: Aces Practice: Aces look to get back into WNBA routine following extended Olympic break
Throughout the second and third quarters, Liberty players made several successful three-pointers.
Despite late scoring from players like Kiah Stokes and Chelsea Grey, the Aces fell short of beating the Liberty.
Post-Game Conference Showed Hammon’s Frustrations
A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Grey addressed the media in the post-game press conference. Wilson mentioned that the Olympic break wasn’t the issue but rather something internal that needed to be addressed.
“’At this point, we’re not going to harp on the break. It’s over, it’s done, It’s behind us, it really does not matter. We took care of that business, now we’re here,’ Wilson said during the press conference. ‘And I think just our ‘want-to’ factor wasn’t there for 40 minutes. And that doesn’t matter if we had a break or we didn’t. I feel like we looked the same in Chicago and we can’t have that. Our team, our locker room is way too good for us to not want to be the best.’”
“That’s all we need is to want,” Wilson further said. “And then the rest is easy.”
In addition, coach Becky Hammon stressed the importance of bringing heart into the game.
“If I could give it to them, believe me, I would give it to them. They have to bring that aspect because that’s internal. Listen, I can sit there and try to put bandaids on these little cuts and bruises but when you’re bleeding internally, doesn’t do much.”
Hamon expressed disappointment over a few players going rogue and labeled it as a “disappointing effort.” She observed a shift in the team’s playing style in the later quarters and emphasized the need to keep the ball moving instead of standing and dribbling in place.
“That was an ugly game, sorry for the TV audience,” Hammon remarked.
The Las Vegas Aces will continue their weekend of home games, facing the Los Angeles Sparks at Michelob ULTRA Arena at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
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