Three takeaways from critical Aces’ 101-77 win over Valkyries

LAS VEGAS—After Saturday’s crushing 111-58 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon said bluntly that her team had to win the next game.

The message was received.

On Sunday, the Aces landed a nice bounce-back win against the Golden State Valkyries 101-77 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

The victory helps put the Aces’ playoff hopes back in good health, jumping back up over the Valkyries with a 15-14 record. The Valkyries, meanwhile, fall to 14-14, with playoffs in their first year still hanging in the balance.

Here are some major takeaways from a must-win game for the Aces.

Swarming early

After going down by a huge margin early against Minnesota, the Aces flipped the script against the Valkyries.

The Aces got the jump on the opposition early, jumping out to a 25-point lead after the first half. The impact was felt primarily on the defensive end, where the Valkyries were held to nine-for-34 from the floor, including two-for-17 from three-point distance. It was a welcome sight for Aces fans, who saw the Lynx light up the scoreboard with 67 points in the first half on Saturday.

The strong first half gave the Aces the cushion they needed to keep the game out of reach.

Stars get right

Coming off a game Saturday where virtually nothing went right, the Aces’ best players got themselves back on track against the Valkyries.

Jewell Loyd continued to find her rhythm coming off the bench, producing a game-high 27 points (seven-for-10 from three-point range). Forward A’ja Wilson notched a double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds), while the Aces also received contributions across the board from forward Jackie Young (20 points, eight assists, five rebounds) and guard Chelsea Gray (11 points, six assists, five rebounds). Rookie guard Aaliyah Nye also made her presence felt off the bench, recording eight points and six rebounds.

Numbers game

The Aces were more than comfortable allowing the Valkyries to make their own mistakes on Sunday.

Coming into Sunday already without leading scorers Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes, the Valkyries were already running low on reserves. They did not help their own case during the game, losing forward Janelle Salaün for the second half after she was hit with a flagrant-two foul. The Valkyries did get some positive contributions from forward Iliana Rupert (17 points) and guard Carla Leite (14 points), but it was not enough to overcome the attrition facing their team.