‘Give me my penalty’: Aces coach Becky Hammon criticizes WNBA players for free-flowing after loss to Wings
The Las Vegas Aces started the season on Thursday when they beat the Dallas Wings by 13 points and gave up 50 points in the second half in a 95-87 loss. Immediately after the defeat, Becky Hammon expressed her frustration to the officials by saying out loud, “give me my penalty.”
The Aces shot 46 in the paint against the Wings, making 62 of their 82 2-point field goal attempts, but made 12 free throws — tied for third-fewest by a team this season and 10 fewer than the Wings’ 22 free throw attempts.
Hammon was convinced that the officials were not calling the game the same way for both sides.
“A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw. Chennedy Carter, zero, Jackie Young, zero,” Hammon said. “I’m tired of this bullshit. I’m not saying they didn’t win their 22 down. But if Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young and Kennedy Carter combined, that’s a problem.
“We don’t get the same whistle. Give me my penalty.”
The sideswipe on Kuier was harsh, but Hammon is understandably frustrated. In this season where it has been made clear that the new league emphasizes freedom of movement, the Aces are the only team to take fewer freeouts per game than last season.
The Aces are tied for last in the league in free throw attempts per game (18.3) and last in free throws made (0.255). In addition, their eight free throw attempts in their season-opening loss to the Phoenix Mercury was the only time all season that the team failed to reach double-digit free throw attempts.
Wilson, who shot just one free throw Thursday despite attempting 24 shots, including 16 in the paint, led the league in free throw attempts last season with 7.3 per game. This season, he is eighth in the league with 6.3 per game. Young, who had a rough start to the season, dropped from 3.2 attempts per game last season to one per game this season, while Gray went from 2.4 attempts per game to 0.6 per game.
And it’s not like Wilson and the Aces are introducing 3s. In fact, they are 12th in the league in 3-point attempts per game (20.6), second in paint attempts per game (39.8) and first in points in the paint per game (48).
The Aces’ quest for a second title in five years got off to a shocking start with a 33-point loss to the Mercury in a rematch of the night finals at the ring. After that they promptly won four games in a row, including a dramatic victory over the Atlanta Dream where they blew a 19-point lead before Gray hit the game-winner in the last second. Now, they have lost their last two games and dropped 101 and 95 points to the Los Angeles Sparks and Wings, respectively.
After Thursday’s loss, the Aces are tied at 4-3 and sit seventh in the standings. They’ll have a chance to get back into the win column on Sunday when they return to the court against the Golden State Valkyries, who are tied for the fifth-worst free throw percentage in the league (0.365).
