‘Deja Vu’: Aces, Team USA fall short in WNBA All-Star Game

PHOENIX — From the volume of the crowd as lineups were announced Saturday, it would have been easy to forget that A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum weren’t being introduced for an Aces game.

The team’s four Olympians appeared in the 20th edition of the WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center. Team USA lost to Team WNBA 117-109 and is now 0-2 in matchups against WNBA All-Star teams.

Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 31 points and 10 rebounds.

Wilson had 22 points and six rebounds. Fans chanted “MVP” as she went to the free-throw line with 30 seconds left. Wilson leads the league in points, rebounds and blocked shots.

Gray had five points and five assists, Plum scored nine and Young two. Wilson and Gray were starters.

Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale was voted All-Star MVP after finishing with 34 points, all of them in the second half, and six assists for Team WNBA.

Stewart said postgame that she was left with “a little bit of a deja vu feeling.” Team USA lost to Team WNBA during All-Star weekend in 2021 and went on to win a seventh consecutive gold medal in Tokyo.

That history means there’s little concern about the national team’s odds of winning again in Paris.

“We have to adjust to different schemes, different languages, and trust the process, honestly, and our buy-in factor,” Wilson said after Saturday’s loss. “I think that we’re not about to press the panic button right now, because this is our first test, and I’m glad we got tested.”

Here are three takeaways from the game:

1. ‘Trying to accomplish a lot’

Opposing coaches Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx, Team USA) and Cheryl Miller (Team WNBA) made it clear early that both teams would take the exhibition seriously.

Reeve emphasized on Saturday that Team USA had an important responsibility to test lineups and schemes to prepare for the Olympics after just two practices together. The team has one more friendly against Germany in London on Tuesday.

“We’re trying to accomplish a lot today, amidst all the hoopla,” Reeve said.

As Reeve tested lineups, Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Young and Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston didn’t see any minutes in the first quarter. Young entered at the 3:52 mark of the second quarter, going 1 of 5 from the field.

In what could have been her final All-Star appearance, Phoenix Mercury veteran Diana Taurasi recorded 20 minutes — the most behind Wilson and Stewart — and was a team-high plus-5 in the boxscore. She recorded 14 points and five assists.

Team USA gave up 14 turnovers on the offensive end, and Team WNBA’s high scoring was aided as the national squad worked out the kinks of unfamiliar defensive options.

Despite the loss, Reeve noted that the team’s postgame conversations were “very positive.”

“I don’t think we needed a game like this to have our attention, per se,” she said. “We know how hard it is to do what we’re trying to do, and we just have work to do to get there.”

2. The MVP of it all

The first half was reminiscent of the fateful 2023 MVP race that has continued to motivate Wilson this season. Team USA led 54-52 after two quarters. Reigning MVP Stewart led the game in scoring through the first two quarters with 14 points. Wilson, the overwhelming favorite for this year’s MVP award, scored 13.

After shooting 0-for-2 in the first half, Ogunbowale exploded for 21 points in the third quarter. She also was the All-Star MVP in 2021 after scoring 26 and leading the non-Olympic All-Stars to a win over Team USA.

Ogunbowale withdrew herself from the Olympic player pool this year, saying she sensed the “vibes” that the selection committee didn’t view her as a fit for the team.

Plum won the All-Star MVP award two years ago, and the trophy that she was presented instantly became the subject of jokes and disdain for how small it was. In another instance of the Aces’ impact being displayed during All-Star weekend, Ogunbowale’s All-Star trophy was larger than it’s ever been.

3. Rookie of the Year

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese made their first All-Star appearances. Both have drawn immense attention and accelerated the league’s exponential growth, while causing their fan bases to clash.

Miller said Thursday she was surprised to learn her players wanted to “beat the brakes off” the Olympic stars.

The star rookies on her team were hard to ignore in that effort.

Clark set the rookie record for assists in an All-Star Game with 10. Sue Bird has the overall record with 11.

Reese had her usual double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. She is the first rookie with a double-double in an All-Star Game since 1999.

Clark joked postgame that she’s officially on vacation. There are five players on the Aces’ roster that will enjoy the same kind of rest.

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.