WNBA looking at dates to makeup game suspended by earthquake

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is looking into dates to finish up the Washington and Las Vegas game that was suspended at the half Friday because of the 7.1-magnitude earthquake in California.

Washington has already played in Las Vegas twice this season and isn’t scheduled to play there again. The teams meet in D.C. on Saturday.

“There are a couple dates they could possibly squeeze it in,” Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said before his team beat New York on Sunday.

With the WNBA schedule so compact, there are few dates for the two teams to finish up the game, which the Mystics lead 51-36. One possibility that the league is looking into is having the Mystics play at Las Vegas on either Monday, Aug. 5 or Tuesday, Aug. 6. Washington plays in Phoenix the previous day. Las Vegas is in Dallas on Aug. 3. Neither team plays again until Friday that week. If the game is finished on that Monday, that would require Washington to play on back-to-back days.

“There’s a hole there we could do it,” the coach said.

Laimbeer said he would be opposed to playing the second half in Washington on Saturday.

“Why give them that advantage?” he said.

One hurdle that would also need to be overcome is that the Aces’ home arena isn’t available to be used. MGM also owns two other arenas, but they are also booked those days. UNLV would be an option.

The NBA’s G League had a game suspended this past season when a leak in the roof in Erie stopped play early in the fourth quarter in their game against the Long Island Nets. The teams finished the game before a regularly scheduled game between the teams at Nassau Coliseum a month later.

While most of the Las Vegas players hadn’t been through an earthquake before, Kelsey Plum was no stranger to them, having grown up in California.

“We used to do drills when I was in school. Get under the desk,” she said. “I sleep through them when I’m at home. I know this was a bigger one, but I didn’t feel it.”

Plum was under the scoreboard as it was swaying with about 30 seconds left in the first half Friday. She was unaware what was going on.

“I had no idea. I heard later the Jumbotron was swaying and fans were gasping in the crowd. I thought there was a streaker or something in the stands. No one came and got me,” she recalled, laughing. “That thing could have fallen and it would have been me and (Kristi) Toliver smushed right at half court.”

This is the second straight year that a game between Washington and Las Vegas didn’t go according to plan. Last season, the Aces had travel issues getting to Washington and the players refused to play the game because of player safety because the team arrived in the city only hours before the tip.

Las Vegas ended up having to forfeit the contest.