Las Vegas Aces forward/guard Angel McCoughtry had 25 points and eight rebounds Sunday in her first WNBA game in nearly two years after a knee injury.
The efforts of McCoughtry and Aces teammate A'ja Wilson (22 points) didn't secure a victory, though, as Chicago got a 3-pointer from Allie Quigley with 15.3 seconds left for an 88-86 win. It was the first game for both teams on opening weekend of the WNBA in Bradenton, Florida.
"I'm so blessed and glad to be out there; it was so surreal for me because I hadn't been out there for so long," McCoughtry, 33, said. "I think I should have led better in the end. That's my pet peeve; when you have that game and you just let it slip through your fingers. It's a learning experience."
Sunday's game was the second consecutive down-to-the-wire finish for the Aces and Sky. Last year in a single-elimination playoff at Las Vegas, the Aces' Dearica Hamby stole a pass with about 6 seconds left and -- not aware how much time she had -- heaved a shot from just over half court. It went in and the Aces got a 93-92 win, sending them to the semifinals.
McCoughtry, the No. 1 draft pick by Atlanta in 2009 out of Louisville, was with the Dream until signing with Las Vegas as a free agent in February. Her last WNBA game actually was against the Aces on Aug. 7, 2018, when she tore the ACL in her left knee and missed the rest of the season. The Dream went on to the semifinals that year but had the worst record in the league last season with McCoughtry out.
McCoughtry is a two-time scoring leader in the WNBA (2012 and 2013) and entered this season having averaged 19.1 points in her career. Yet she signed with Las Vegas thinking she would not be scoring as much as she did for Atlanta. But with center Liz Cambage (medical exemption) and guard Kelsey Plum (Achilles injury) out this season for the Aces, McCoughtry will have a bigger role than she expected.
She was 11-for-17 from the floor and 3-for-3 from the line Sunday, which marked her 65th career game with 25 or more points. She is third all-time in WNBA history in that category, behind Phoenix's Diana Taurasi (123) and Seattle's Lauren Jackson (70), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
"Angel's a vet, she's an Olympian, she's an All-Star, she's one of the best players in the world," Hamby said. "She showed that today. I think a lot of people were kind of concerned that she may be a step slow, but she looked damn good to me."
Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said that he has to be judicious with how long he leaves McCoughtry on the court in stretches as she continues to get into game shape. But she played 26 minutes Sunday and was efficient.
"She made some big plays for us," Laimbeer said.
McCoughtry also was asked about the 26-second period of remembrance for Breonna Taylor, which WNBA teams observed before games on Saturday and Sunday. It was McCoughtry's idea to have Taylor's name on the backs of players' jerseys this season.
Taylor was shot and killed by police in her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment in March when plainclothes officers entered while executing a no-knock search warrant. The officers involved have not been charged.
Her death, followed by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed when a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes in May, sparked civil rights and social justice protests and conversations across the country.
"People are recognizing all the initiatives to bring change into our country," McCoughtry said. "For Breonna Taylor's family, they deserve justice."