Loyd ices the Fever for 34 points in 89-77 win
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - When the Indiana Fever (7-12) visited Seattle Storm for the first time this season, star guard Jewell Loyd led all scorers with 32 points in the win in front of a franchise-record sellout crowd of 18,343 at Climate Pledge Arena.
In the second sellout at Climate Pledge Arena this season on Thursday night, Loyd had 23 points at the half, finishing with 34 points on 10-of-15 shooting including 6-of-9 from three, as the Storm (11-6) outlasted the Fever, ending the game with a final score of 89-77.
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd posted a season-high 34-points in the Thursday, June 27th victory over the Indiana Fever at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
In the previous six games leading into tonight, Loyd connected on just three of 34 three-pointers, including 0 for 13 in the past three outings.
“If you come for a show, I’ll give you one,” Loyd told the sellout crowd of 18,343 during her postgame interview.
Trading scores to start the game, Seattle leaned forward and locked in, generating a 12-0 run where lead guard Skylar Diggins-Smith assisted on three of six possessions.
Three-point shooting hasn’t been the team’s strong suit this season, averaging 29 percent, good for just 11th in the league. In the opening frame, the Storm shot 60 percent from deep. Loyd dropped 15 points in the opening frame and was accountable for half of Seattle’s three-balls, ending the first with a 30-21 lead.
After committing zero turnovers in the first quarter, Seattle gave the ball away twice in the first minute and a half to start the second frame. The giveaways muddied the flow and fueled an 8-2 Fever run to bring the game within two possessions for the first time since early in the first.
Basketball is a game of runs, and the second period saw a slew of them as the Storm enjoyed an 8-2 dash of their own, capped off by a three-point play from All-Star forward/center Ezi Magbegor. The Australian post player finished the game with 15 points and 11 rebounds, good for her sixth double-double on the season and 19th of her career.
Seattle led by a score of 53-39 at halftime and extended its lead to 67-48 with 4:09 remaining in the third quarter.
Like in their previous matchups, the Fever didn’t go down without a fight, slicing their deficit to single digits at the start of the fourth quarter. All Seattle needed was a final push, and it came via a Magbegor assist to a cutting Jordan Horston that all but promised the win. Horston, getting her second start in a row for the Storm, finished with five points, four rebounds, and five assists.
Fever rookie phenom Caitlin Clark had 15 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. She also had six turnovers.
Indiana Fever point guard and number one overall pick Caitlin Clark was held largely in check by the Seattle Storm and their swarming defensive play. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
What’s next?
Following tonight’s 12-point win over the Indiana Fever, the Seattle Storm will continue their historic nine-game homestand with back-to-back games against the Dallas Wings. The first of those two games will be on Saturday, June 29th with a tipoff time 6PM PDT that will broadcast on Bally Sports SW, FOX 13+ / Amazon Prime Video - Seattle, NBA TV, NBA TV Canada if you aren’t able to attend the game in person at Climate Pledge Arena. The theme for this game on the 29th will be Pride Night, as Seattle celebrates as the month of June comes to a close. It'll be the second contest against the Wings this season for the Storm, the first time that Seattle will host Dallas this year after a road win earlier this year. The Wings snapped an eleven-game losing streak earlier today with their impressive victory over the Minnesota Lynx, who currently sit atop the WNBA’s Western Conference. Games between Dallas and Seattle always tend to find some way to be wacky or entertaining, so it’ll be interesting to see what these back-to-back matchups have in store.
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