Shorthanded Storm show grit in 90-87 win over Sparks
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - For the first time this season, the Storm were without stars Jewell Loyd (knee) and Ezi Magbegor (concussion).
In most cases, losing their leading scorer and best defender would spell chaos, but this isn’t Seattle of old. With top-tier talent still remaining, Storm coach Quinn believed in her team no matter the circumstances.
“It’s a next woman up mentality. When you’re on a professional team during the season, you can be one moment away from something in which you need another player to step up. So, here we are. We have two players out and we will rely on our team to fill the gaps where needed. I don’t want one person to think they have to be Jewell or Ezi. So, it’s being 100% authentically themselves, playing hard, playing their role, and most important trying to have fun today.”
Quinn received that wish and more as Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, and Skylar Diggins-Smith combined for 64 points in the team’s 90-87 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks (7-31).
Ogwumike scored 22 points and six rebounds against her former team while Diggins-Smith contributed 19 points and six assists.
Gabby Williams has been on a tear over the last two weeks with her offensive play, and it didn’t stop against the Sparks as she delivered another electric performance on both ends of the court, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, and four steals. In her last three games, she has 11 helpers and nine steals. Sophomore wing Jordan Horston added 16 points on 70 percent shooting.
Slow starts have pained the Storm in the second half of the season and while missing two starters, it was understandable if it occurred again given the situation at hand. That didn’t matter to Seattle.
After jockeying for position to start the opening frame, the Storm went on a 18-8 spurt through the heart of the quarter and maintained their flow throughout the second quarter as they took a 52-38 lead into halftime.
During the second quarter, Ogwumike netted a step-back jumper that gave her 6,466 points in her career, moving her past WNBA legend Katie Smith for tenth place on the league’s all-time scoring list.
Third quarters have been an issue for the Storm as of late and the trend continued as Los Angeles rode a 21-8 run from the 1:30 mark of the third until halfway through the fourth period.
Down the stretch, Sparks point guard Odyssey Sims scored on consecutive possessions which gave them their first lead since the first quarter.
Down 87-86 with a minute left, Diggins-Smith drew a foul on Rae Burrell after a hard take. The veteran point guard connected on two free throws, giving the Storm an 88-87 lead with 50.7 seconds on the clock.
After forcing Odyssey Sims into an unfavorable shot, Diggins-Smith snatched the ball and drained free throws that gave Seattle a three-point lead and sealed the win.
What’s next?
Following today’s afternoon victory over the Los Angeles Sparks to sweep the four-game season series, the Seattle Storm will have one day between their next contest which is their final home game of the regular season. The Storm will host the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday, September 17th with a tipoff time of 7PM PDT at Climate Pledge Arena that will be broadcast live on FOX 13+ and Amazon Prime Video locally. Both teams remain in a tight race for the fourth seed in the WNBA, and this head to head matchup will have obvious implications as the two teams clash before what is virtually guaranteed to be a first round playoff matchup. This is also “Fan Appreciation Night” presented by Coinbase, as the first 5,000 fans into the arena will receive a “Gold Mamba” Jewell Loyd shirt.
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Cover photo by Reid Alexander. Check out Reid’s portfolio here.
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