Jackie Young may be nicknamed the “silent assassin,” but she let out a celebratory yell as she gleefully ran in a circle during the last two minutes of the Aces’ 106-80 win over the Dallas Wings on Sunday at College Park Center.
It was an understandable reaction after the Aces guard grabbed an offensive rebound and turned it into a highlight no-look assist to teammate A’ja Wilson in the paint. It wasn’t the only reel-worthy moment before the final buzzer.
Young electrified her team once again as she hit a transition 3-pointer despite contact from a defender that left her celebrating the bucket flat on her back. Point guard Chelsea Gray loved the four-point play so much that she joined Young on the court in a comically slow fall instead of helping her up.
“We’re just trying to string together some wins and execute the defensive schemes,” Young said after the victory. “But I thought today … we had fun today. There are a lot of smiles on our faces. I think that’s the biggest thing. When we’re playing with energy, playing at the pace that we want to play — it’s fun out there.”
Young added that fun has always been part of the brand of basketball that Aces coach Becky Hammon brought to Las Vegas in 2021. Amid a start that’s seen the Aces (13-13) fall below .500 five times this season, it appears changing the starting lineup was all it took to reinstill the joy.
Hammon gave fourth-year forward Kierstan Bell the starting nod over veteran guard Jewell Loyd, marking Loyd’s first time coming off the bench since 2019.
With the revamped opening rotation, the Aces ended the first quarter with the game tied at 27-all. They outscored the Wings 29-17 in the second to establish a 56-44 advantage at halftime and never trailed again.
Young led a group of six double-digit scorers for the Aces, including Loyd who added 20 points off the bench. Bell finished with 19 points. Wilson, the reigning MVP, finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Forward NaLyssa Smith finished with 11 points and point guard Chelsea Gray had 10.
It was Hammon’s 100th regular-season win, making her the third-fastest coach to reach the WNBA milestone (142 games).
The Wings (7-18) were without guard Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft. She was ruled out Saturday for “rest.”
Arike Ogunbowale had 18 points for the Wings in Bueckers’ absence.
Difficult to bench Loyd
The move to bench Loyd came after she went scoreless over 21 minutes of play in the Aces’ 109-78 loss Friday to the Minnesota Lynx.
It was the worst game of Loyd’s career, during a season in which she is averaging 10.4 points per game for her lowest scoring average since her rookie year. She is the highest-paid player on the Aces’ roster after joining the team via the blockbuster trade that sent Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Before the win in Dallas, Hammon was asked about Loyd coming off the bench as Loyd suggested less than 10 games into the campaign. Incredulously, Hammon replied that although Loyd had brought it up again, it wasn’t going to happen.
“I wasn’t quite ready to do it, and then she talked to me again,” Hammon explained afterward. “So, we decided to do it right before the game.”
Loyd was subbed in for Gray midway through the first quarter and found her groove in the second half, shooting 5-of-7 from the field in the last two quarters after she recorded five points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half.
“Hopefully, Jewell feels more comfortable with that second unit, just getting shots up,” Hammon said. “When you’re playing with A’ja or Jackie, sometimes you can get lost in the shuffle.”
Bell ‘a vibe’
Sunday was just the second start of Bell’s career, with the last coming in her rookie year after she was drafted No. 11 overall by the Aces in 2022.
Bell, who is averaging 8.8 minutes per game, said she knew something might be coming when she was getting a pregame massage and Wilson simply told her to “get your mind right.”
“I’ve been hard on myself this year, but this start and this game gave me the confidence. And my teammates trust me,” Bell said. “So, I’m just thankful.”
Hammon said that Bell was really the only option she considered for the starting nod because she knows the system best and guards Dana Evans and Aaliyah Nye have specific bench roles the Aces can’t go without.
She also said that despite not often being the topic of positive conversation, Bell is an important player for the Aces.
“She’s a really cool person,” Hammon said. “If you get to know her, she’s a vibe. She’s fun, and she’s a ride-or-die type teammate. If you’re going into a situation, you want her to be with you.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
