On paper, Becky Hammon had a decision to make when NaLyssa Smith picked up her fourth foul early in the third quarter of Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals vs. the Indiana Fever Tuesday.
But in reality, it wasn’t much of a decision at all for the Aces coach.
“I left her in because I needed to play her,” Hammon said. “I got on her. And I don’t like to get on players and then not give them a chance to get it right. She made a mistake and you all probably saw me pull her over there, then let her go back to work.”
Smith picked up her third foul with 8:18 left in the third and her fourth with 7:27.
Following that stern talking to from Hammon, she reeled off five straight points, dousing a Fever rally and leaving the score at 59-44 following a three-point play with 5:05 remaining.
“I don’t like to take players out off mistakes,” Hammon said. “I hated that when I was a player and I don’t like doing it to my players. I want to correct it, but I want to give them a chance to get it right.”
Smith finished the game with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting, leading the Aces to a series-tying 90-68 rout of the Fever.
“It just shows the level of trust she has for me to go out there and play without fouling,” said Smith, who was drafted second overall by the Fever in 2022. “When she kept me in the game, mentally I was like, ‘OK, I have to lock in so I don’t get another foul.’ It shows the trust and belief in me.”
Smith credited film study and playing alongside four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson with elevating her game this season, which came only after a mid-season trade from the Dallas Wings. Smith said that playing on a team where winning is the standard has raised her focus.
“You have to lock in on a different level and don’t want to make those little mistakes because that’s where it’s going to cost you,” she said.
Smith’s performance Tuesday was also distinguished by her aggression on the glass: seven rebounds, two of which came on the offensive end.
“Her offensive rebounding — she had a few that gave them second-chance points and got herself to the free-throw line (4 for 9),” Fever forward Aliyah Boston said. “We have to tighten down on that and box out, because obviously she’s super athletic and does a great job getting to the glass.”
Now the series shifts to Indianapolis and Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the next two games. Raucous crowds are to be expected with games slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday, but the hostile environment will be nothing new for Las Vegas.
“I think it’ll be cool,” Smith said of returning to Indy. “They always have a great crowd. It’s going to be different being on the other side of things, but I think we know how to weather storms. We’ve been in environments with big crowds already, so I think we’ll be fine.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NaLyssa Smith stats today, Fever draft pick stars for Aces in Game 2 win
