The Las Vegas Aces kept their season alive on Sunday with a 92-75 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of their semifinal series.
After an exciting first few games, there was much less intrigue in this contest; the Aces made some defensive adjustments and jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first half that they never surrendered. But even if the action on the court was a little dull, things have heated up off of it thanks to Liz Cambage and the Mystics' social media team.
Cambage had her best game of the series in Game 3, dominating inside with 28 points on 12-of-15 shooting and six rebounds. Her physical style of the play continued to frustrate the Mystics, who seem to be fed up with what they perceive as unnecessary contact from the Australian.
Earlier in the series, Cambage was called for a technical after elbowing Emma Meeseman in the face, and she was lucky to escape without another one for a similar incident in the third quarter of Game 3. (Instead, Mystics head coach Mike Thibault was T'd up for complaining.)
After the game, Cambage delivered one of her classic quips in her walk-off interview.
"I just kept sealing inside," Cambage said. "They've got small forwards guarding me; if they can't handle it, get in the weight room or get out of the post."
The quote got laughs from just about everyone besides the Mystics. Their social media team jumped into the fray by posting a video of their players pumping iron.
And on Monday, Mystics point guard Natasha Cloud essentially called Cambage a frontrunner, while adding that the comments would just give them extra motivation.
"We didn't hear [the trash talk] the first two games," Cloud said. "When Emma had her 57 points she was asked about what makes her successful, all she said was 'my shot's going in the basket.' That's humility. That's who we are. All that trash talk doesn't affect us. It just adds fuel to the fire. I think people forget we're up 2-1."
With the Aces needing another win to keep their season alive, and the Mystics fired up after Cambage's barb, it's safe to say that Tuesday night's Game 4 matchup is going to deliver some must-watch drama.