The Aces played most of the second half without All-Star center Liz Cambage, who sustained a lower leg injury and had ice taped to her left ankle.
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 conclude their second regular season in Las Vegas with one more trip and two more games — against the Alanta Dream on Thursday and the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
The 6-foot-8-inch All-Star center is one of 21 athletes featured in the magazine’s 11th annual body issue, which showcases their bodies without clothing.
The 5-foot-8-inch combo guard hasn’t scored in five games this season and averages 8.6 points on 37.2 percent shooting. Yet she continues to work, compete and combat the occasional self doubt — proving more than capable of performing the way she did Saturday.
The Aces reclaimed third place in the WNBA standings — and snapped a three-game losing streak — Saturday night with a (score) comeback victory over the Los AngelesSparks at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The guard, who grew up in New York, broke the national single-game high school record of 105 points by scoring 113 in her senior season of 2005-06 in a 137-32 victory.
The 31-year-old guard has played nine years in the WNBA, averaging 13.3 points, 2.9 assists and shooting 37.2 percent from 3-point range. She hasn’t played this season.
The Aces had won four straight before hitting the road and were contending for a top-two seed and double bye into the semifinals. But they went 0-3 on the trip.
A three-day break is indeed on the horizon for Las Vegas, but not before a showdown with the Indiana Fever to culminate a tumultuous three-game trip.
The Aces fell to fourth place in the WNBA standings on Sunday with a 98-77 loss at the Target Center to the Minnesota Lynx, who clinched a playoff berth with their victory.
The Aces play the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday and the Indiana Fever on Tuesday before returning to Las Vegas for their final home game Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Aces (19-10) trail the Connecticut Sun (20-8) and Washington Mystics (20-8) by 1½ games for a top-two seed in the WNBA playoffs after an 89-85 loss Friday night.
The Aces clinched a playoff berth Sunday with a victory at the Chicago Sky, but still have plenty to play for before the postseason begins Sept. 11.
The star forward scored nine of her 19 points in overtime to propel the Aces past the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
The 6-5 senior, a five-star recruit, also had offers from other elite programs such as Kansas and Arizona.