Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd was ruled out of Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals against the Golden State Valkyries after suffering a left leg injury Sunday.
Loyd exited early in the third quarter and did not return to Las Vegas' 71-60 loss at Chase Center, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The Aces said she was being evaluated, while coach Becky Hammon did not have an immediate update on her condition following the game.
The injury adds another concern for Las Vegas after forward Stephanie Talbot missed Game 1 because of a left leg injury. The Aces will have two days before returning to Chase Center for Game 2 of the best-of-five series Wednesday night.
Loyd's absence came as Las Vegas struggled offensively against Golden State. The Aces shot 33.9% from the field and were held were held to just 60 points, a season low according to Janie McCauley of The Associated Press. A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 24 points, including 15 in the first half, while Chelsea Gray added 16.
Golden State also struggled from the field, shooting 37.7%, but controlled the glass with a 52-25 rebounding advantage. Hammon described the performance as one of the Aces' “most atrocious games of the season” and pointed to rebounding as a deciding factor.
“We lost the game on the boards, no question about that,” Hammon said, per McCauley.
Article Continues BelowGabby Williams led the Valkyries with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. She scored 18 points in the first half, helping Golden State build an advantage it never relinquished. Kiah Stokes had 14 rebounds and blocked three shots, while Kayla Thornton finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
“We were really really connected tonight, I felt we were communicating, I felt like we were showing them bodies and then it came down to rebounding,” said Williams.
Jackie Young pulled Las Vegas within five points on a 3-pointer with 8:25 remaining, cutting Golden State's lead to 58-53, but the Aces could not complete the comeback.
Kaitlyn Chen also provided a boost for Golden State, scoring 11 points after coach Natalie Nakase turned to her during the third quarter. Aminata Gueye added nine points in just over 12 minutes off the bench.
The loss put the defending champion Aces behind 1-0 in the semifinal series. Las Vegas will have an opportunity to even the series Wednesday.

