Storm fall to 2-4 in post-Olympic play in loss to Liberty
By Christan Braswell
Seattle, WA - Since returning from the Olympic break, the Storm is allowing opponents to corral a WNBA-leading 39.8 rebounds, the fourth-most off the offensive glass (9.2), and giving up second-most points off those offensive rebounds.
The New York Liberty came to town and obliterated those statistics. A 45-17 rebounding advantage, 17 offensive rebounds that tied the Liberty for the second-most in a game this season, and 19 points off the offensive glass secured a 98-85 win.
“We need to rebound,” said Loyd who finished the game with just one. “Everyone needs to rebound. It’s not just the post players, it’s guards as well, so I need to do a better job of getting in there. Usually I do, it sometimes it just depends on matchups or shots or where they fall. But I think we’re all there. Some of them just bobble in our hands. At the end of the day, we just need a little bit more effort.”
Skylar Diggins-Smith and Gabby Williams jumpstarted the offense to start the game, scoring nine points of the team’s first 11. After four quick Liberty points, Nneka Ogwumike got in on the action with a crisp stepback three-pointer. At that point, Breanna Stewart and Nyara Sabally combined to score seven of the Liberty’s 11 points, giving them a 27-26 lead at the end of the first quarter.
New York’s offense came to life in the second quarter via a 14-0 run where Liberty All-Star Breanna Stewart drilled back-to-back threes. She finished with a game-high 32 points on a stifling 71.9 effective field-goal percentage.
Seattle ended the quarter with a 23-9 run that where Skylar Diggins-Smith could not be stopped on dribble-drive action and timely three-pointers from Jewell Loyd produced a 51-49 lead at halftime. Diggins-Smith finished with a team-high 26 points.
The Storm started the third period off on a good foot with solid defense on all three levels until Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu ignited for 12 points in the quarter as New York took a 74-71 lead into the final frame.
It was if Seattle ran out of gas in the last 10 minutes as New York continued to force the issue, outscoring them 24-14. Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who finished with 25 points after scoring 20 in the second half, will most likely be on Sportcenter’s Top 10 Plays when she fell after missing a layup, snatched her miss while on her knees and flipped a shot over Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike that put the Liberty up 87-77.
Seattle, which is 2-4 since returning from the Olympic break, fell to 19-12. Despite the loss, they clinched a playoff spot and is tied with Las Vegas for fourth in the standings with nine games remaining. The latest loss ends a three-game homestand for the Storm and starts a tough three-game road trip Sunday with a pair of games against the Connecticut Sun and a series finale at Barclays Center as the Storm take on the Liberty on Thursday, Sept. 5.
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