Aces struggle and Caitlin Clark hits a shooting slump early in WNBA season

For the second consecutive season the Las Vegas Aces have gotten off to a slow start.

The team snapped a three-game losing streak Sunday with a victory over Indiana. Las Vegas sits at 6-7, a rare time they are under .500 since the team came to the Nevada city in 2018. The victory over Caitlin Clark and the Fever was one of their best efforts of the season. (It also was ESPN’s third most-watched WNBA regular-season game, averaging 1.7 million viewers.)

Coach Becky Hammon is hoping for more consistency moving forward.

“It’s hard to build trust when you’re not consistent. Every day. You got to show up. You got to be who you are and be the best version of yourself,” she said. “And we haven’t got that yet. We’ve got it in pieces, which makes me optimistic. And then we have, you know, where we fall to pieces, which enrages me. So, you know, we have to find a way to show up and put a 40-minute game together.”

The Aces look to string some wins together now with Connecticut and Washington coming to Las Vegas for back-to-back games this week. The team then goes on a five-game road trip that will go a long way to determining where they are heading into the All-Star break.

Hammon is hoping to get Jewell Loyd going on offense. She's averaging just 11.4 points this season — her lowest total since her rookie year in 2015.

Clark isn't worried about her recent shooting slump over the past two games when she's gone 1-for-17 from behind the 3-point arc. She's a career 35% 3-point shooter, with many of her shots coming from way behind the 3-point line.

“I mean, there’s going to be stretches that are really good and stretches that aren’t as good,” she said. “Obviously it’s frustrating. You want them to go in and even tonight there were a few that felt really good off my hand that just didn't go down.”

Clark hasn't lost faith in her shooting.

“The challenge for myself going forward is just continue to pour into every other aspect of the game and I can continue to have an impact in those other areas.”

Clark and Napheesa Collier are leading fan All-Star voting through Friday. Three of Clark's Fever teammates are also in the top 10 of the voting that will close Saturday. There have been a huge number of votes cast so far which has impressed Clark.

“It seems like it’s certainly going to set some sort of record for the amount of votes cast compared to last year, if I’m not mistaken. I feel like we’re on track for that, which just shows how much engagement we’re driving across the league for all different sorts of players and teams," she said.

“And, you know, that’s exactly what the league needs, is people are excited about that type of stuff and wanting to be involved, feeling like their vote really counts, and feeling like they can make an impact on All-Star Games. So, it’s really exciting to see, and hopefully as we continue to grow here year after year after year.”

Minnesota leads the way as the No. 1 team in the power poll with Phoenix moving up to second after beating New York last week. The Liberty are third with Seattle fourth. Atlanta, Golden State and Las Vegas are the next three. Indiana is eighth. Washington, Los Angeles and Dallas follow the Fever. Chicago and Connecticut round out the poll.

Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle earned Player of the Week honors for the first time this season. The Storm forward averaged 25.7 points, eight rebounds and 2.3 steals to help the team win all three of its games last week.

Chicago at Los Angeles, Sunday. The Sparks will retire former star Candace Parker's jersey at the game. She will be the third player to have that honor for Los Angeles.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, left, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd scramble for the ball during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) and center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrate after a play against the Seattle Storm during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) shoots over Seattle Storm forward Alysha Clark (32) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Friday, June 20, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)