Nneka Ogwumike’s stern mic drop after poor defensive effort in Aces loss

LOS ANGELES – Saturday marked Nneka Ogwumike’s first game back with the Los Angeles Sparks since returning to the team in free agency this offseason, but it didn’t go according to plan. The Sparks were blitzed by the Las Vegas Aces, 105-78, a loss in which the teams’s defense seemed non-existent.

The Sparks’ issues on defense last season were a driving factor behind their major offseason moves, including signing Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler and trading for Ariel Atkins. But the defensive effort was just not there during the Sparks’ loss to the Aces and following the game, Ogwumike took responsibility while vowing that the team would be better by their next game.

“Today was on us. Defense is not something that gels, you either want to do it or you don’t And it’s interesting because when you’re out there, and at times when things are going wrong, you can either go with it or you can get out of it,” Ogwumike said. “I know it starts with me. I think that was probably one of my worst one-on-one defending nights.

“But defense is not something you guys should be sitting here watching and hoping we get it down by the end of the month. You should see it Wednesday.”

The Sparks allowed the Aces to score 105 points, just one night after the Aces struggled to put the ball in the basket during their 99-66 loss to the Phoenix Mercury. On the second end of a back-to-back, the Aces shot 62 percent against the Sparks defense, and 35 percent from the 3-point line.

After the Sparks had rallied back from a double-digit deficit to trail by a single point, 42-41, at halftime, the Aces dropped back-to-back 30+ point quarters in the second half to seize firm control of the game.

For Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, it was a combination of the team’s stalling offense and lackluster defense that contributed to the loss.

“We uncharacteristically missed open looks. I think that kind of got in our heads a little bit,” Roberts said after the game. “And then defensively … they kind of punched at us. We were trapping on reactions and they just kind of baited us into it a couple of times. They started hitting from three, they executed their game and we didn’t have the fight defensively to scrap back.”

Ogwumike finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 33 minutes in her first game back. She shot well overall, going 7-of-15 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

She knew coming into the game she was going to feel the emotions of being back in front of the crowd she built her legacy in front of. And at the end of the day, she felt remorse for having left a bad taste in the mouths of the home fans after that performance from the team.

“It’s always great to be back here and I’m so grateful to be back where it all started, especially with Coach Lynne and KP [Kelsey Plum] and the squad that we have together. I was feeling all the feels, but all I’m thinking about right now is how I feel like we disappointed the people that came to the home opener,” Ogwumike said. “Playing here, even before I left, that was not it. That’s not the standard that we operate by.”

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