Immediate reaction: Storm in the “W” column after defeating Mystics, 84-75
By Christan Braswell
Washington, D.C - Storm star guard Jewell Loyd led the WNBA in scoring in 2023 playing without either Sue Bird or Breanna Stewart. To accomplish such a feat, she took the most shots of her career at 20.2 per game.
Through the first two games of the 2024 season, the five-time All-Star averaged the same amount at 20 while shooting 33 percent from the floor. When a reporter asked about it after the second loss to the Lynx, teammates Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith revoked the theory of Loyd enduring a shooting slump.
“It’s the first two games. We don’t even claim that. We want her to be aggressive.”
Less than 48 hours later, the aggression they wanted to see continued as Loyd engineered a 10-0 of her own in the second quarter, finishing with a game-high 24 points and their first win of the season over the Washington Mystics, 84-75. Loyd missed her first six shots but connected on 6-of-13 the remainder of the game.
The opening minutes of the first quarter were rather uneventful as neither team notched a score until Storm center Mercedes Russell converted a driving layup on an assist from Skylar Diggins-Smith. Russell started in place of Ogwumike and finished with eight points and five rebounds.
As expected for a newly assembled team learning on the fly with little to no practice time, Seattle struggled with moving the ball efficiently and playing with pace through the first game and a half. In the second half and onwards in the second Lynx game, the flashes were there as the team fought back by getting everyone in their spots. They sustained that effort throughout Sunday’s contest starting in the second quarter with Loyd’s 10-0 run, part of a larger 14-3 advantage that gave Seattle an eventual 39-31 lead heading into the half.
“I talked about having the ball move so that we can get cleaner looks,” said Storm head coach Noelle Quinn. “We aren’t quite there with our offense but today I felt like there was more consideration in moving the ball more and being disciplined.”
Washington opened the third quarter with an 11-4 run, scoring 30 overall. Mystics guard Ariel Atkins didn’t miss a shot coming out of the locker room as she knocked down two three-pointers in the period and added eight points to her 19 on the day. Diggins-Smith poured in six points in the final 1:30, bringing the deficit to two with ten minutes left in regulation. She ended the game with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
The final frame was a true collaboration as three Storm players scored five points or more. The first score came via an effortless finger roll from Storm forward Ezi Magbegor off a Diggins-Smith assist. Magbegor had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double and 14th of her career. Of her 14 rebounds, three came off the offensive glass. Five Storm players had at least two and seven of the nine that saw action had at least one, giving Seattle a 21-to-4 advantage in second points.
The Storm face the New York Liberty on Monday with a 4PM PDT tipoff time, as the match will be broadcast on ESPN3, FOX 13 / Amazon Prime Video - Seattle, WWOR-My9, as it will be interesting to see if the team will be able to get Nneka Ogwumike back in the lineup for that contest with the quick turnaround. After that contest against the Liberty, the Storm head back home for a battle with the Indiana Fever on Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena with a tipoff time of 7PM PDT, as Seattle faces phenom Caitlin Clark for the first time ever.
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Cover photo by Kenny Giarla.
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