August 5th, 2018: Las Vegas at Connecticut

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Connecticut went up big and never looked back in a 109-88 win over the Las Vegas Aces, shooting almost 60% from the field in the process. Jasmine Thomas dropped a game-high 30 points on 12-15 shooting from the field. A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 24 points, with Kelsey Plum adding 21.

For interminable bus rides, a study in contrasts, playing for a reason, a lot of pink, getting buckets, artwork, and scoring a lot, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.

Basketball, as we all know, never stops, and we go from That Dump in White Plains to the 7-time Arena of the Year at Mohegan Sun, as Connecticut plays host to the Las Vegas Aces.

Today is BHA day, branded as "Rock the Pink". Third scorecard in the special series came out. So far the second one is my favorite.

The Rock and Roll Chorus did what I thought of as the "game in 60" version of the anthem, and what the husband described as the "Rent" edition. It was... interesting. They're doing the halftime performance as well. I am underwhelmed.

It is 64-49 Sun at the half. Refs all but swallowed their whistles after the first few minutes. They're really letting them play. It seems like someone's going to get hurt if this goes on.

STH and kids get to shoot foul shots on the court after the game, which is cool.

These soulless BHA jerseys have to go. Team colors have to be on them somewhere next year. And Vegas's leftover San Antonio jerseys are hideous. I don't expect to see those again next year.

So that's what offense looks like! I had almost forgotten. It's been so long. If you didn't think there would be petty shots at the sorry state of the Liberty in here, what blog have you been reading? But this also says a lot about the growth of the league. There was a time you could score 49 in a game and be in position to win, or even win outright. Vegas put up 49 in the first half and was down big.

Honestly, I'm bummed for Lindsay Allen. I'd like to think she knew going in that she was basically Fauxriah Jefferson and once Jefferson was back, she was going to the end of the bench, and that she was okay with it, but she seems like the kind of player who just needs a little playing time to develop and contribute. Moriah Jefferson is very tiny and very fast. I would be freaking out if I were the ballhandler and she were coming at me. Nia Coffey still continues to confound me. She doesn't seem to have a position, and some days it works, but some days it most emphatically does not. This was one of the days where it didn't work.

Given how much defense JiSu Park has provided all year, I was surprised how little time she got. She's got good size and she has nice midrange touch. Kelsey Bone got lively boos from a portion of the crowd every time she committed a foul, which happened with regularity. (She still kneels for the anthem, and I applaud the courage of her convictions, fight me if you want to.) She brings a big, physical presence to the floor, and if she had better positioning she might have been more effective. Jaime Nared played at the very end of the game, coming in later than I would have thought. I don't know how she managed to snag all those rebounds she has in the box score. She's sneaky, I guess.

Carolyn Swords is such an important part of this team that it's not even funny. She brings leadership and steadiness that the younger players need. She gives out direction even from the center position, making sure people go where they need to be. One of the most deceptive non-lines I've ever seen. A'ja Wilson is the truth and she has ascended past the rookie wall. She plays like a seasoned professional, with grace, fluidity, and exceptional positioning. I can't wait to see her with even more veteran savvy and experience. Tamera Young's shot still looks weird and still manages to go in.

Almost forgot the guards, which is embarrassing, because Kelsey Plum had a game where she looked like she was back at UW (well, okay, except that that floater in the lane that fell a little short) and attempting to play all sports at once- karate chops and soccer kicks are inappropriate in basketball, Kelsey. But she was on fire. I don't know if that's necessarily what Vegas needs out of their point guard, but we'll see about that in the offseason. Kayla McBride could probably do with a little less flopping, because one of these days she's going to get caught and she's going to get fined. Her game is dangerous enough, especially on the offensive end, without the falling over quite so much.

If this is what Vegas looks like after getting proper rest and traveling without event, I'd hate to have seen what they would have looked like against Washington. Of course, on the other hand, they could have gotten a second wind like Indiana. And that's all I have to say about that.

Lexie Brown is so tiny and looks so young. Someone's got to have mistaken her for a ballgirl at some point. I love the way she forced the travel against Allen. I'm not sure how I feel about Rachel Banham running point, especially with the aforementioned Brown on the roster. Seems like that's the kind of experience Brown should be getting, and Banham would be better as a shooting guard/three-point specialist. Layshia Clarendon brings a different dimension to the Sun when she's on the floor. She controls the game so well. She's really found a good spot. She doesn't get statistical credit for it, because this isn't hockey, but she set up Alyssa Thomas for a fantastic finish to Shekinna Stricklen.

Betnijah Laney got a lot of run, and brought a lot of energy to the floor with it. She still needs to do a lot of work on her ballhandling, but she's adapted around it, if that makes any sense- she seems to know when she's going to lose the ball and dives appropriately, or is able to successfully back out of the play before something terrible can happen. She's found a place where she belongs, and I love it. Morgan Tuck was fantastic on the glass, getting a putback off a strong o-board. I'm not thrilled with her as a three-point shooter, though. Jonquel Jones looked like she'd had Red Bull injected into her veins before the game, bouncing off her teammates like the world's skinniest pinball, and it showed on the floor. She had a monster block on Park that was a virtual repudiation of her opponent's very existence. It's taken the entire year, but if she's back in form for the playoffs, suddenly Connecticut is a much more dangerous team.

Chiney Ogwumike gave a master class in this game on how to get around someone who's taller and wider than you are. Swords was on her much of the time, and Chiney's footwork to get around her was exquisite (and mostly legal). There was a play on the baseline where she was able to take one big step to stay inbounds, then reestablished her dribble and got the bucket. There's a joy about her game, a feeling that comes across to me as contagious satisfaction at having completed a tricky thing that you really wanted to do and weren't quite sure you could pull off, like a golfer's little fist pump personified. Alyssa Thomas's minutes were limited because somehow, in a game where far fewer calls were made than could have been, she picked up two fouls in the first quarter trying to defend A'ja Wilson. I can only imagine how intense the onslaught would have been if she'd been in the entire game. Quiet game from Shekinna Stricklen, but again, enormous contributions from her weren't necessarily required. Someday I'd like to see her rebound more reliably, though.

Courtney Williams needs to not go anywhere near a shooter that's already launched a three-pointer, especially when said shooter is a member of the acclaimed Notre Dame diving team. And I'd like to see her take it to the basket when she drives that deep into the paint. But I can't argue with her jumper. It's not an argument I'm going to win. She's so quick and so energetic and so fun! And, of course, Jasmine Thomas was the woman of the match and the star of the show. Everything she touched turned to gold, whether it was the three-pointers (except for the one she took from somewhere in the vicinity of Bridgeport because she was feeling herself) or the amazing floaters that took all kinds of angles off the glass and dropped softly in. She was in control of this game from start to finish and it was amazing. You could tell how much this game, this day, meant to her.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, because I'll probably have to say it again: when Connecticut can keep themselves from doing stupid things, they're unstoppable. It's when they can't keep their hands off the offensive player that they start having problems.

It got physical in a hurry, which I should have expected in a game where Fatou Cissoko-Stephens was a ref. (No, ma'am, I haven't forgotten Tanisha Washington, Southern Miss, and being knocked down to four players, and I never will.) They called it pretty loose, which I'm sort of okay with. On the other hand, missing a blatant offensive kick that led to a Plum three was a little bit irritating.

To the people sitting all around us: players are relevant for more than going to UConn. Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck are more than just a mutter of "UConn player" to the person next to you. And if you aren't paying attention to non-UConn players, boy are you missing out.

The parachute t-shirts from the catwalk are not as effective when the air conditioning blows half of them into the lower bowl.

I think Connecticut wanted to prove something. They were going hard for buckets even after they went up big. I mean, it's not hard to loathe Bill Laimbeer, and I think he welcomes it. It wouldn't surprise me if this were a gambit to create a new version of the Bad Girls so the league would have a new villain.