Aces Beat Mercury: Evans and Loyd Lead From the Bench

Las Vegas Aces Dominate Game One of the WNBA Finals

In an exciting match that marked the beginning of the WNBA final, the Las Vegas Aces achieved a crucial victory over the Phoenix Mercury with a score of 89-86. The key to the triumph lay in the outstanding performance of the bench, which proved to be a determining factor in the development of the game. Aces coach Becky Hammon had anticipated the impact of her bench, highlighting its quality and depth. The duo of Dana Evans and Jewell Loyd led the attack from the bench, scoring a combined total of 39 points. This performance far surpassed that of the Mercury, who only managed 16 points from their bench. Evans and Loyd became the fifth pair in WNBA Finals history to score at least 15 points each coming off the bench. Hammon praised her team’s versatility, highlighting her players’ ability to change the pace of the game and make it difficult for the opponent’s defense.

“We have weapons. We want to use them all because we are harder to defend that way,” Hammon commented. “Our bench was huge.”

Becky Hammon

The game was marked by intensity and alternating scores. Despite leading for only 5 minutes and 18 seconds, mainly in the final quarter, the Aces managed to come back and secure the victory. Phoenix, driven by Kahleah Copper’s good performance, controlled the game in the first half, reaching a nine-point lead. In the closing moments of the game, Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas had the opportunity to tie the score from the free-throw line, but missed both attempts. The Aces knew how to take advantage of this situation and sealed the victory. The Aces became the second team in WNBA Finals history to win a game with two of their top three scorers coming off the bench. This compensated for a discreet night in terms of scoring from Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. A’ja Wilson, the league MVP, although she didn’t have her best night in field goals, achieved an outstanding performance with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and zero turnovers, setting a new record in the WNBA finals. Since the beginning of the season, Hammon has emphasized the importance of each player’s contribution to achieve the championship. The incorporation of Evans and Loyd, who were key in this first game, demonstrates the effectiveness of this strategy. Evans, encouraged by Hammon to be more aggressive in her shots, stood out with five three-pointers, tying Riquna Williams’ record in 2019 for the most three-pointers off the bench in a Finals game.

“Dana is our battery. She makes us play at a different pace. I told her that we go as she goes, and that’s a fast pace, but we’re always going to try to keep up with her, because we know she’s very difficult to stop in this league,” Wilson expressed.

A’ja Wilson

In defense, the Aces made a key change by implementing a zone defense in the third quarter, which made it difficult for the Mercury to attack. Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts acknowledged that his team did not know how to adapt to this strategy. The Mercury had 14 turnovers, resulting in 20 points for the Aces. Despite the loss, the Phoenix team will seek to adjust its strategy in the upcoming games. The Mercury find themselves in a similar situation to the previous series, but they are relying on the lessons learned from previous defeats to make the necessary adjustments and compete in what will be the first seven-game final in league history.