Storm falter in Game one of round one matchup against Aces, falling 78-67
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Las Vegas, NV - The Seattle Storm couldn’t have dreamed of a better start against the two-time defending champion Aces.
A defensive intensity that carried them all season did so in the first quarter via an 18-9 rebounding advantage. A true teamwork effort on the wing and interior from Nneka Ogwumike and Mercedes Russell, who had seven key first-quarter rebounds, helped build an 18-9 lead at the end of the first ten minutes and held Las Vegas to 11 percent shooting.
The Aces fought back with a 14-4 run over the first several minutes of the second quarter. Once the A double-team trap job from Ogwumike and Russell collapsed any form of offense in the paint. Second year forward Jordan Horston and Ogwumike combined for 17 of the team’s 24 points, taking a 42-38 lead into halftime after five lead changes.
Seattle’s defense held 2024 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson to just four points on 1-of-8 shooting in the first half. She came alive in the third quarter, connecting on seven of 10 shots for 15 points, but Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins-Smith held Las Vegas at bay with 16 points of their own, giving the Storm a 65-64 lead heading into the last frame.
After three highly competitive quarters of basketball, the Storm imploded.
Besides two points from Diggins-Smith at the free-throw line, Seattle couldn't muster any resemblance of offense in the fourth quarter where they shot 0-for-12 from the field. It’s the first time in WNBA history that a team was held without a field goal since the league switched to quarters in 2006. Not to mention the Storm tied the WNBA playoff record for the fewest points in a quarter.
“You have to have short-term memory. The only thing we can do with such a short turnaround is to get better through film and address certain things in that capacity. This one’s over. Can’t get it back.”
After leading the Storm with 13 points at the half, Ogwumike didn’t score for the rest of the game. With the Aces double-teaming her and a lack of movement from players to take advantage of openings, the offense faltered in the fourth quarter.
“They had fire and we gassed out. We didn’t step up the energy in that fourth quarter. There were many reasons. A team like that, you can’t. There’s no way you’re winning the game with a two-point quarter.”
On a positive note, the Storm held the Aces to nine-point first quarter and a 14-point fourth quarter. Without their anchor in All-Star center Ezi Magbegor, the defensive effort is worthy of noting, even considering the outcome. Still, the inability to at least match or slightly outscore the Aces is what lost the game.
What’s next?
With tonight’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces in the first game of their first round WNBA Playoffs matchup, the Seattle Storm face a win-or-go-home contest in game two when these teams meet again. That game two is on Tuesday, September 24th at Michelob ULTRA Arena with a tipoff time of 6:30PM PDT that will be broadcast live on ESPN. It will be a major factor seeing if center Ezi Magbegor will be able to play in this critical game two, as the Storm missed her presence on the court in this game one loss. If Seattle is able to pull out the win, they’d force a series deciding game three on Thursday, September 26th back home at Climate Pledge Arena, but the Storm will need a big bounce back effort on Tuesday before they can even think about potentially playing on Thursday.
Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports Bluesky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social
〰️
Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports Bluesky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️
Check out our previous Seattle Storm articles here.
Check out our previous articles written by Christan Braswell here, and follow Christan on Twitter.
Cover photo from the Seattle Storm/WNBA
Support the work of Circling Seattle Sports by checking out our merchandise!