SKY HIGHLIGHTS:
— Forward Cheyenne Parker was the leading rebounder for the Sky with 13
boards. Parker also started the second half and played a season high
30:03 minutes.
— The Sky’s offensive boards added to their 17 second chance points. The
Sky had a total of 12 offensive rebounds compared to two by the Aces.
— In her second game with the Sky this season, Courtney Vandersloot dished
out a season-high 11 assists.
— Diamond DeShields scored a season high 25 points, and was the Sky player
of the game. Cheyenne Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, and Jamierra
Faulkner also scored in double digits for the Sky.
ACES HIGHLIGHTS:
— Guard Jaime Nared and forward A’ja Wilson were the leading scorers for
the Aces, scoring 24 points and 22 points, respectively. Along with
Nared and Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Kayla McBride also scored in double
digits for the Aces.
— Starting Forward Nia Coffey got hurt in the second quarter, and did not
play in the second half.
— The Aces bench outscored the Sky bench 42-34.
— The Aces shot 51.4 percent from the field compared to 38.9 percent by
the Sky.
SKY HEAD COACH AND GENERAL MANAGER AMBER STOCKS
(On the game) “Good game. It was a very offensive minded game with 95 points for
us and 90 for the opponent. We really ducked down and played together. We were
able to focus on minimizing our turnovers and rebounding the basketball. We did
an outstanding job in those two areas. And then on top of that, just the way
that this team played together, they were passionate for each other. There was
one moment during a time out that [Vandersloot] had a question for me, and I
couldn’t hear her because everybody was talking to each other. They were giving
advice. So, one player who wasn’t in was grabbing another player who was in and
they were all sharing things they were seeing on the court, and everyone was
actively involved in the time out, and in the coaching and in the instruction,
and telling people what to look for. It was a beautiful thing to see everybody
working together and such chemistry.”
(On the difference between this game and the game on Friday (6/1)) Take care of
the basketball. Minimize turnovers, a heavy emphasis on getting the safe outlet,
running through the play, getting secondary and tertiary action within our
offense, and taking the high percentage shot.
(On resilience and being able to come back from a 15-point deficit) I would say
what really manifested itself today, what you saw on the court, was a byproduct
of what the players have been doing in practice. For Cheyenne Parker to come in,
and not just because she’s sitting here, 30 minutes. She’s really worked on her
conditioning, and she’s put in a lot of extra time without me, just in the gym
with the assistants or with Ann Crosby, our strength and conditioning coach.
She’s put in the time to work on her conditioning, and then you see her out on
the court, so I learn about the productivity of what they’re doing to prepare
themselves for the moment. It’s not the moment. It’s the preparation you put in
before the moment that allows you to seize the opportunity of the moment.
(On getting to the free throw line and getting rebounds) Last season we were
last in the league in free throw attempts, and we made a very, very strong focus
on increasing that. We knew coming into this season we needed to increase our
free throw attempts and our rebounding. And Diamond will tell you, she and I
talked and one thing I knew that we needed was Diamond on our team to help us
get to the free throw line. We knew we needed Gabby Williams on our team to help
us secure rebounds. And [DeShields] had 14 free throw attempts today, and [Gabby
Williams] had 10 rebounds, so they’re fulfilling their calling cards so to
speak, and being productive in the areas that are going to help us win.
DIAMOND DESHIELDS (F)
(On her mindset in the second half) Just to keep attacking. I don’t think I ever
had teammates that just keep telling me, ‘keep going, keep going.’ They really
made me feel confident going into the fourth. I thank them because if they
weren’t telling me that I probably wouldn’t have kept being as aggressive as I
was.
CHEYENNE PARKER (F)
(On sensing the momentum changing in their favor) Ending the second quarter, I
felt like we had good momentum going into the locker room, and we allowed the to
carry over starting the third quarter, and just try to stay consistent.
Defensively getting stops, pressuring the ball; I think that’s when the turning
point came.
ACES HEAD COACH BILL LAMBEER
(On keys to the loss) I thought we has control of the game early on an we just
kind of relaxed too much. They picked up the pace and we weren’t able to recover
our intensity. They just kept attacking the rim and we kept fouling.
(On A’ja Wilson’s foul troubles) She is going to get in foul trouble every now
and the. I think it bothered her a little bit, but overall, teammates have to
step up. Too many fouls and offensive rebounds for them and that’s a recipe for
disaster.
(On the effect of Nia Coffey going down) She’s one of our more intense players,
and [losing her] hurts and drives our intensity down. She’s one of our best
attackers of the basket, but injuries happen.
(On how the team responded to tough officiating) I think it was our own fault
because we fouled too much. We let them take us off the dribble, our help
defense wasn’t there and they got to the free throw line.
(On the team’s rebounding) We didn’t rebound very well today at all. We only had
two offensive rebounds to their 12, and that’s not good enough. It puts you in a
hole. I thought they worked hard to get the rebounds and we didn’t.
(On expectations for Kelsey Plum for the season) I don’t quite know yet. She’s
too new to our team. I know she can shoot [3-pointers]. She needs to learn our
offense and how to run a team. Overall, she had a good game today.
A’JA WILSON (F)
(On sitting due to foul trouble) It’s very frustrating sitting. I don’t think a
competitor likes to sit, but it’s tough. I think the biggest lesson I learned
this game was foul trouble. I can’t afford to be in foul trouble for my team,
it’s not good. It’s very selfish of me to go out like that. That’s done, I
learned that. That’s the beauty of losses, you learn from them. I have to move
my feet and also know my teammates can trust me to be a defensive presence.
(On her leadership skills translating to the WNBA) I think they’re slowly coming
around. It’s kind of tough, I still have a rookie mind. This is my first year
going at this, so I’m trying to be a sponge instead of a rock. I’m trying to
take it all in, but yet still lead and coach [Lambeer] does a great job of
helping me take that leadership role. My energy is huge. I can’t afford to feel
down, than the team will. That goes back to me being in foul trouble. My biggest
thing as a leader is listening to what coach says and translating it as fast as
possible.
(On going against former teammate Alaina Coates) It’s good. It’s kind of
different playing against each other, but it kind of takes it back to the good
old days of playing against each other in practice.
(On the scouting report for her) Every game and every practice I try to see how
I can expand my game. People are going to know what I like to do like the back
of their hands. I think coming into the league, [Lambeer] said you always have
to have a [go-to move] you can count on. Slowly and surely, I’m starting to
shoot a lot more jumpers. People are going to play me for the drive, so I want
them to understand that can do both.
(On improvements from training camp to present) I would have to say just
trusting myself. In training camp, I came in being a rookie and i didn’t know
what I was getting myself into. Now as it’s gone on, I see that I can still
produce the way I used to in college. I can still take in the defense and be a
cheerleader for my teammates.
(On Mia Coffey going down) It’s a big part of us. Mia gives us a lot. She gives
us that burst of energy. You can’t guard her, you don’t know how to guard her
[because] she can jump out of the gym. It was tough, but coach said man down man
up, and we just have to take that and use it as energy and embrace it.
