Aces sweep Storm in first round of WNBA playoffs
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Las Vegas, NV - After a valiant effort to extend their season, the Seattle Storm fell short in Game two in a best-of-three first-round series to the back-to-back defending champion Las Vegas Aces, 83-76.
Storm forward Gabby Williams led the team with 20 points and five rebounds. Veteran power forward Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
Skylar Diggins-Smith contributed 13 points and 10 assists while Ezi Magbegor finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Seattle started the first quarter with energy that didn’t meet the nature of an elimination game, especially after becoming the first team to be held without a field goal since the WNBA switched to quarters in 2006.
The Aces got on their good foot first with a 15-4 run to start the game. Of their 10 made field goals, five came from the three-point line. Poor closeouts and a switch-heavy approach gave way to Las Vegas picking Seattle apart on the wing. A mini-flurry from Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor brought the deficit within 10 at 30-20 at the end of the opening frame.
In her first game back after sustaining a concussion on September 13th against the Dallas Wings, Magbegor scored ten of the Storm’s 20 first-quarter points.
In the second quarter, a 22-10 Seattle run erased a 16-point deficit and pulled within 33-29 after forward Nneka Ogwumike connected on two free throws midway in the second quarter.
Several possessions later, Jewell Loyd drained an open three-pointer and Magbegor sank a short jumper that cut Las Vegas’ lead to 39-38 with three minutes left in the first half. The Aces closed the quarter on a 6-0 run and went into halftime up 45-38.
Seattle, which outscored Las Vegas 18-15 in the second quarter, did so again at 19-17 in the third quarter trailing 62-57 to start the fourth.
After a layup from Mercedes Russell gave the Storm the lead at 65-64, the Aces went on a 7-0 run to go up 71-65. Las Vegas held on at the end and advance to the WNBA semifinals to face the New York Liberty.
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Cover photo from the Seattle Storm/WNBA
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