Aces open trip with loss, blow chance to clinch playoff spot

The Aces could have clinched a playoff berth Tuesday for the third consecutive season with a road victory over the Connecticut Sun.

They will try again Thursday.

Las Vegas fell to the Sun 76-62 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville to finish 0-3 against Connecticut in the season series.

Chelsea Gray scored 15 points and Liz Cambage and Dearica Hamby 13 apiece for the Aces. But the Sun utilized their size and length to neutralize Las Vegas in halfcourt settings.

As a result, the Aces (17-7) committed 14 turnovers, leading to 26 points for Connecticut (18-6), which clinched a playoff berth.

The Aces continue their three-game road swing Thursday at Atlanta, then play at the Indiana Fever on Saturday.

But they missed an opportunity to secure a signature victory against one of the WNBA’s best teams.

“We struggled with the same thing we struggled with in the first two games — taking care of the basketball,” said Hamby, referencing the first two losses to Connecticut.

“We’ll see them in the playoffs.”

The Sun have the ideal personnel to pester the Aces, who prefer to play either in transition or through Cambage and A’ja Wilson in the low post. Connecticut’s star, center Jonquel Jones, is bouncy and mobile at 6 feet, 6 inches. Teammate Brionna Jones is sturdy at 6-3, and wing DeWanna Bonner is rangy and fluid at 6-4.

The three have the requisite size and length to match up with Cambage, Wilson and Hamby, who comprise the WNBA’s most dominant frontline.

Cambage was unbothered Tuesday, converting 6 of 9 field goals. But Wilson, the league’s reigning MVP, struggled to get to the basket and finished 1 of 15 from the field en route to four points — her first single-figure scoring output in 53 games.

Hamby excels in transition and helped spark the Aces in the second and third quarters with her energy and pace. Yet they stalled offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points and allowing the Sun to close the game with relative ease.

Wilson helped limit Jonquel Jones to eight points. But veteran guard Briann January picked up the slack with 19 points, and Bonner scored 18. Brionna Jones had 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Sun, who dictated the pace with a patient approach in the halfcourt.

“The game plan from the coaches, we probably could have done a better job. The players definitely need to execute better,” said Aces coach Bill Laimbeer, who emphasized the importance of ball and player movement. “There’s a long way to go in the season. … We’re not as bad as we showed tonight.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.