Aces 101, Sun 94: At least a glimmer of hope

 It was just a moment, but it will have to sustain us, at least until the Connecticut Sun get back to full strength (if they ever do).

Playing without Brittany Griner, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Leila Lacan, it looked like the Sun were going to be on the losing end of another name-your-score blowout, trailing 72-59 late in the third quarter with an extremely young lineup that looked lost just two days earlier against the same opponent.

But then Nell Angloma - not even 20 and making her WNBA debut - exploded for a bucket, and then Saniya Rivers, who looked miserable to start the season before Friday, found Angloma again for a layup. Charlisse Leger-Walker got a steal and Rivers hesitated before finally shooting a three-pointer and drilling it. Almost immediately, you could see a weight lifted off Rivers’ shoulders as her defensive intensity picked up and she hit another three to make it 72-70, forcing Becky Hammon to call time out.

Maybe there was a way for the Sun to win this thing? As it turned out, no, A’ja Wilson was on the other side and without anyone to truly match up with her defensively, she scored 45 points (the second most of her career) on 15-for-18 shooting, 2-for-2 from behind the arc.

However, even if that moment was fleeting, at least it was there. You can envision Griner and Lacan being on the floor and a little better interior defense, and you might have a team that can win a few games? It’s a better feeling than we left Wednesday’s game at least, although the Sun is off on a west coast trip that could go sideways if they let it.

Let’s hold on to the positives, shall we?

What else did we learn from the Sun’s 101-91 loss to Las Vegas that was not as close as the final score indicated, unfortunately:

 

1. A’ja Wilson is A’ja Wilson - Saying she’s the best WNBA player ever will get you some arguments, but she certainly is in the conversation. The Sun went with a combination of Aaliyah Edwards (welcome back), Kennedy Burke (?!?), and Reagan Beers, and it was never going to end well for any of them. With that said, when it was 72-70, Wilson stepped out and drilled a huge three, which is kind of unfair with the rest of her game. Chelsea Gray almost had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists, and 7 assists, while Chennedy Carter opens up some more doors for Becky Hammon, exposing the Sun’s inability to keep guards out of the lane so far this season. 

2. Small sample size, but impressive from Nell Angloma - Who knows how much practice time Angloma got, but it certainly wasn’t much, yet she was able to keep up athletically (although being burned a couple times on defense). She showed the ability to run the floor and get to the rim, with great size (6-foot-1) for the things she can do. Angloma was matched up with guards and didn’t miss a beat. It looks like her offensive game, especially shooting (like Lacan) is going to be a work in progress, but the upside is certainly there, although Houston will probably see a lot more of it than Connecticut.

3. Have to guard the paint -  Las Vegas is strong inside (they have Wilson, duh), but you can’t let an opponent shoot 29-for-45 inside the arc (64.4%), and expect to be competitive. As I’ve pointed out before, right now it’s too easy to get by Charlisse Leger-Walker and Hailey Van Lith, and it will be interesting to see how Rachid Meziane addresses that when Lacan finally returns (hopefully next week). Both have strengths and Van Lith looked very good in the fourth quarter, and the Sun did have 11 steals, but it’s just too easy to score on them right now. Teams aren’t even having to get hot from three to put up 100 points on them every night.

Player of the game:  Hailey Van Lith - Some of it was with the game decided, but she scored 17 points and had 4 assists against just a single turnover in 22 minutes of action. If the Sun can find a way to mitigate her deficiencies defensively, it looks like she can certainly run the point in the WNBA at the other end.

Inside the numbers : 23 -  Margin of field goal attempts in Connecticut’s favor (81-58). Some of that has to do with the Aces getting to the foul line 32 times, but on another night and without Wilson on the other side, the result might have been different. Reaching a bit, but a lot more positivity than Wednesday, for sure.

Under the radar: The Sun starting lineup was quite bizarre with neither Rivers nor Aneesah Morrow (who got another double-double at the very end with 10 and 10) in it, but Van Lith and Gianna Kneepkens getting their first starts. Kneepkens was decent, although managed just 3 points in 18 minutes and couldn’t create her own shot when necessary, something she’s probably to have to do to see regular playing time this season.

Lacan will finish her French season Sunday, which will create a difficult roster decision for the Sun. The favorite to get the axe is Reagan Beers, but she had 6 points and a team-best +14 in 17 minutes, and it does seem like Griner’s health is going to be an issue that lasts throughout the season. Is next on the list Leger-Walker? She played 18 minutes tonight and the Sun certainly don’t want to give up on her just yet either. So we shall see.

Quotable:  “We have to be better in defensive transition, but we also have to be tough. We have to be more physical. For a young team it’s hard to adjust, but we have to respect ourself first if we want to compete." - Rachid Meziane

Next up: Monday at Portland, 10 p.m.