Wings soar over Storm for 76-65 win despite Loyd’s 31 points
By Bel Garcia, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The Seattle Storm returned home after a three game road trip, in which they were able to steal two wins on the road. The Dallas Wings sit fourth overall in the WNBA standings, with one of two matchups against the Storm resulting in a win. The last time the two teams faced each other on the court was in June, when Seattle rallied and were dominant in the fourth quarter to win by a slim margin.
Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd went down in obvious pain during the first quarter, but was able to return to play the rest of the contest (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
Storm shooting guard Jewell Loyd hit a tough jumper mid-way through the first quarter, but fell to the ground in excruciating pain, writhing on the court until coach Noelle Quinn was able to call timeout. Loyd was immediately assisted to the locker room to be evaluated. A mentality that the Storm have adapted through the seasons is “next woman up.” We now turn to her team for a strong game, and even more, someone to step up to fill in on the absence of Loyd’s scoring abilities. Seattle stepped up on defense and found some offense, guided by Ezi Magbegor; it was enough to stay within four points of the Wings before Loyd stepped back on the court.
Dallas guard Arike Ogunbowale lead the Dallas Wings to an early lead in the first quarter with a total of 12 points. Before Loyd left the game with an injury, she contributed six points to assist the team. Magbegor added 12 in a pivotal absence of minutes for Loyd. Her first points tonight came from a layup, giving her 1,000 points for her career to add to her defensive efforts this season. Seattle won the points in the paint battle, scoring two more shots than the Wings, an area of concern for them throughout the season.
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale battled with Seattle’s Jewell Loyd all night long (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
As we’ve heard from several WNBA players; the sport is a game of runs and the Wings had theirs in the second quarter, creating space going into halftime. It took Loyd some time to warm up to her shot upon her return, but when she did the rest of the offense seemed to quiet down. After closing the first quarter with only a three point deficit, Seattle was outscored by Dallas 24-14. The Wings also swung the points in the paint to their favor, scoring almost half of their 46 half points in the paint. Aside from the scoring slump, there were some defensive slips that came from bad passes, and not being able to control the basketball in loose ball situations. The size difference in the paint created a rebounding issue for the Storm, as they continue to look for ways to be aggressive grabbing the boards.
Seattle Storm F/C Ezi Magbegor had a massive block on Dallas Wings Kalani Brown (Photo by Mathew Bermudez)
Loyd’s three pointers in three straight possessions cut the Wings lead to single digits with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. She was spotting up in her position and knocking them down, but on the other end Ogunbowale was also having an efficient scoring night. She was the first to 20+ points in a spot up corner three of her own, Loyd quickly followed with her beyond the arc shots. Magbegor’s first block came in emphatic fashion with one over Wings’ Kalani Brown that brought the crowd to their feet and Brown down to the hardwood. Loyd and Magbegor continued to be an offensive duo in the third quarter to help propel the Storm back to only a 10-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, with some contributing handful of points by the rest of the team. At the end of the third, both teams had taken nearly the same amount of shots, but the Storm had the slightly better percentage with 44% while also catching up in three pointers made.
The Seattle Storm supporting cast had some solid performances, but didn’t do enough to help out on the scoreboard (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
The supporting cast never seemed to be on the court long enough to get into a rhythm, aside from Jordan Horston and Mercedes Russell who each played 10+ minutes. Both players only scoring two points – Russell tacked on a couple of rebounds, but the whole team was at a negative efficiency. Dallas had the better performance and was able to maintain the lead because of the offensive contribution received from the rest of their starters, three of which also scored in double figures. Ogunbowale had the help of her team, Loyd scored almost half of the Storm’s total points to keep her team in the game. She continues to lead the league in scoring and is averaging enough points to keep her name at the top. Without the assistance of a third offensive threat Storm’s efforts fell short for a 76-65 loss.