Austin Ekeler rushed for a career-high 117 yards on 15 carries in a 28-14 victory over the Raiders.
Sam Gordon
Reporter
Email: sgordon@reviewjournal.com
X: @BySamGordon
Sam Gordon was born and raised in Minneapolis and is back for his second stint with the Review-Journal. He’s covered the NFL, NBA, the Big Ten, the Mountain West and prep sports for various publications during his professional tenure. Gordon, a University of Minnesota graduate, is a basketball junkie who coached high school basketball for three seasons.
The Aces were blown out for the second straight game, falling to the host Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals. They face a win-or-go-home Game 4 on Wednesday in Phoenix.
Point guard Chelsea Gray is the only WNBA champion on the Aces’ roster, having won the title in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks and reaching the finals again in 2017.
UNLV was competitive for the second straight week, but poor pass protection and two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties doom the Rebels on Saturday at the Alamodome.
“The hardest thing to handle in professional football is success,” said former NFL MVP Rich Gannon, who quarterbacked the 2002 Raiders all the way to Super Bowl XXXVII.
UNLV senior kicker Daniel Gutierrez, awarded a scholarship during an intrasquad scrimmage in August, has made his first seven field-goal attempts this season.
Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said after Thursday’s loss to the Phoenix Mercury that he’s “getting a little tired of the referees and the way they referee us versus the other team.”
The Aces were at Taurasi’s mercy Thursday night during Game 2, falling 117-91 to her Phoenix Mercury in Game 2 of the best-of-five series.
Kelsey Plum on Thursday was named Sixth Player of the Year, receiving 41 votes from a panel comprised of 49 journalists and broadcasters who cover the WNBA.
Bryce Hamilton is returning to the Rebels for his senior season after an offseason in which he declared for the NBA draft and entered the NCAA’s transfer portal.
Riquna Williams showcased the offensive package Tuesday that once helped her eclipse 50 points in a WNBA game, erupting for 14 of her game-high 26 points in the first quarter.
Riquna Williams scored 14 of her team-high 26 points in the first quarter, and Kelsey Plum scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half in the Aces’ 96-90 victory.
Aces center Liz Cambage returned to practice last week after a lengthy bout with COVID-19, and is ready to battle with Pheonix Mercury center Brittney Griner in a matchup of perhaps the league’s top two centers.
UNLV’s offensive line helped pave the way for a season-high 433 yards from scrimmage Friday night, including a season-high 281 passing yards.
Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett found a rhythm in the fourth quarter, converting three key fourth downs to help Miami force overtime against the Raiders.