When the Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon made a major change to their lineup on Sunday, fans weren’t surprised. The Aces were about to clash with the Chicago Sky which has big names like Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The major thing in this matchup was that the Aces would have to stand tall against Reese who is 6 feet 3 inches and Cardoso who is 6 feet 7 inches. Taking cognizance of the same, Hammon added Megan Gustafson to the starting five.

Gustafson who is 6 feet 3 inches was included in the starting five for the first time this season to tackle Cardoso and Reese’s duo. The other players in the lineup included A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, and Chelsea Gray. Thus, Alysha Clark who had found herself a place in the starting five during their previous game against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday could not earn herself a spot when the game began. But hopefully, for her fans, she will be rotated once Hammon feels the need to. Meanwhile, Hammon had previously hinted at the upcoming strategy.

The 47-year-old in an attempt to help the Aces go for a three-peat on Friday had revealed that she had a word with the team for switching the starting five on a “game by game basis.” The 2x consecutive WNBA Champions are finding it difficult to lift the trophy this year as they stand on a 17-11 tally and occupy third place in the Western Conference Division.

Gustafson has played 26 games for the Las Vegas Aces this season. But, she hasn’t found that rhythm yet. Her best came during the Minnesota Lynx when she scored 11 points in June. Other than that she had demonstrated a knack for understanding the game when she hit 17 points with 6 rebounds during a preseason game against the Puerto Rico national team in May. But, did her spot in the starting five help Aces?

Has Megan Gustafson been able to limit Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso?

The Sky took the lead in the starting few minutes when Michaela Onyenwere opened the account with a three-pointer. Reese and Cardoso both started supporting the team with their rebounds as Gustafson found it difficult to keep them in check. Reese then made a driving layup to help Chicago reach 7 points as the Aces were stranded at 2. Thus, the Sky were able to maintain their lead.

Seeing Gustafson not contributing much to the team, Hammon felt right to rotate her and got Tiffany Hayes in the middle. Thus, ending any hopes of the new strategy working for the Aces. However, in the second quarter, Gustafson once again entered the game for Hayes and hit a few rebounds before being substituted by Wilson.

Overall, Gustafson as of now, has played for 7 minutes and hit 2 rebounds, whereas Reese has 4 points with 8 rebounds, and Cardoso has 2 points with 6 rebounds as the Aces have gained the upper hand with a 32-30 tally. This is a neck-to-neck competition and fans are expecting a thriller in the final few moments of the game.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.