High Post Hoops
Fansided

Takeaways: Cambage leads the Wings to victory with a career night

By Jada Butts

ARLINGTON, TX - JUNE 15: Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Dallas Wings high fives Elizabeth Cambage #8 of the Dallas Wings during the game against the Las Vegas Aces on June 15, 2018 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - JUNE 15: Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Dallas Wings high fives Elizabeth Cambage #8 of the Dallas Wings during the game against the Las Vegas Aces on June 15, 2018 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

ARLINGTON, TX – Liz Cambage made her presence known, and asserted her will to lead the Dallas Wings to a 77-67 win against the Las Vegas Aces. Cambage tied a career high night with 28 points and 18 rebounds.  Dallas is now 5-4 for the season, as they head into a couple days off to rest and regroup

More from High Post Hoops

This season, the Dallas Wings are playing a more focused type of basketball that is centered around their All-stars Skylar Diggins-Smith and Cambage. Time and time again, these two show up and carry this team. Diggins-Smith finished with 20 points and 6 assists. This was the second game that the Wings played without their veteran Karima Christmas-Kelly, so they are still trying to figure out how to fill that role. Head coach Fred Williams had some different lineups out there, some even debuted newly acquired guard Letica Romero.

The all-stars weren’t alone in this game. Kaela Davis got her third start of the season and produced 10 points and 3 rebounds. When I spoke to Coach Williams about Davis he said that he is really impressed with her. He spoke of her versatility and ability to be a three-dimensional player in a recent interview. “She can play point, two or three guard for us. She is starting the get in the rhythm of each of those positions. I think you’ll be seeing her a little more at that point slot.”

Las Vegas never trailed by much in this one, but it never felt particularly close. Kayla McBride led them early with 11 points in the first six minutes, but they could never get over that hump. McBride finished the game with 22 points. There was a lot of one-on-one basketball played last night by the Aces. A’ja Wilson was the only other player on the Aces to really contribute to the score last night as she put up 14 points, three rebounds, and four blocks.

ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 15: Kayla McBride #21 of the Las Vegas Aces handles the ball against the Dallas Wings on June 15, 2018 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 15: Kayla McBride #21 of the Las Vegas Aces handles the ball against the Dallas Wings on June 15, 2018 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Aces were finishing a four-game road trip, and head coach Bill Laimbeer noted that his young squad got mentally fatigued throughout the game.

“I don’t think it was tired legs as it was tired minds,” Laimbeer told High Post Hoops following the game. “We’re so young, we don’t understand yet how perpetual basketball is. Every game is just a stop, it keeps coming up, we have to be mentally strong every game. I think we let down mentally tonight, and that’s what cost us.”

When you are mentally fatigued, that is when the little details slip—details such as offensive rebounds. The Wings finished with 11 o-boards compared to the Aces’ one. Kayla McBride said after it was over, “We just can’t give this team extra possessions, and that’s really what it came down to. It just came down to wanting those balls a little bit more, and I think that was kind of the separation point.”

Glory Johnson can take some credit of getting those extra possessions for the Wings.  Johnson is slowly coming back from injury, but the heart and hustle she displays every night hasn’t changed one bit. Johnson grabbed a season-high nine rebounds to add to her 11 points off the bench.

The Wings will have to find a way to keep this momentum, as they head to Minnesota to take on the defending champion Lynx Tuesday night.

Home/Dallas Wings