Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
One of the best teams in the WBNA came to D.C tonight, however they left looking like one of the worst.
The Las Vegas Aces, who the Mystics have not had an answer for anytime in the past couple of seasons, found all the ways to score tonight right from the first jump, didn’t find a way to finish as they have in previous years and let the Mystics second half shooting behind Elena Delle Donne, bury the Aces late.
The Mystics did all of it tonight without starter Natasha Cloud, who had to sit out tonight with Coronavirus protocols.
Washington held the Aces to 25 percent shooting for the second half. In that time, Washington made one the best comebacks in the past seasons tying the game 54-54 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.
Starting off the fourth quarter, it was more Elena Delle Donne, who scored 8 of her game-high 19 points in the fourth keeping the Aces down by double digits the remainder of the way.
Rui Machida also made her first career start in place of Cloud, scoring 9 points and dishing 4 assists in 29 minutes.
Jackie Young scored 19 points and Kelsey Plum added 18 for Las Vegas (2-1). Dearica Hamby added 14 points with eight rebounds, and A’ja Wilson had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
They played a really flawless second half and we made some mistakes they capitalized on late in the fourth quarter,” said Aces Head Coach Becky Hammon.
The Mystics are off to their first 3-0 start since the 2020 WNBA season and for the third time under the tutelage of Head Coach Mike Thibault (since 2013).
