ARLINGTON, Texas — It just wasn't pretty. The Dallas Wings are determined to get back to the drawing board after they fell to the Las Vegas Aces, 104-84, on their homecourt in Arlington.
The Aces, who were coming off their lowest-scoring game of the season in their loss against New York, scored the opening 16 points of the ball game. By halftime, the Aces led the Wings 54-26.
Despite a solid performance from both Wings forward Satou Sabally, who led the way with 21 points on the night, and center Kalani Brown, who finished with 16 points, they both said Dallas just wasn't themselves.
“We didn’t perform like we were supposed to today,” Sabally said in her postgame interview. “As a collective we did fail, but it’s always good to be knocked off your feet and know what you have to do wrong in order to do it better the next time. We will definitely do better next time.”
The Aces made 16 three-point shots against the Wings. And their shooting percentage was at above 50% by halftime.
“Their 3-point percentage was through the roof, can’t let that happen at home,” said Sabally.
At one point, the deficit was over 40 points. Brown said even though they tried to lock in as a team, it’s still hard to come out of a hole like that, especially against a team as good as the Aces.
The Wings didn't find their rhythm until the fourth quarter, recording a season-high 32 points. The squad shot 63% from floor, but it was too little too late.
“The best that you can do is try and be more focused,” Brown said. “We just got to go back to the drawing board and find ourselves defensively, because what you saw today was not it.”
The Wings have now lost three in a row, all on their homecourt, where they are usually dominant. When asked how she's dealing with the losses and what she told her team after the loss to Vegas, Wings head coach Latricia Trammell joked, "What happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room."
But on a serious note, Trammell shared in the sentiment of getting her team focused, saying they'll take the day off to get their heads clear.
Sabally said that the Wings are a great team and need to "bring back that joy and energy.”
In addition, the team has not practiced as much and has played four games in eight days.
Sabally said even though it’s not an excuse for their performance, the WNBA needs to “step up” in terms of better access to charter flights and rest time.
“I hate to make excuses that we’re tired, but reducing travel time increases recovery time.”
Going into their next game against the Connecticut Sun on Saturday, Aug. 12, Sabally and Brown were both adamant that they’ll bounce back.
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