Storm use big comeback effort to get first win in 66-63 victory over Sparks
By Bel Garcia, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Jewell Loyd entered tonight’s rematch game against the Los Angeles Sparks only 17 shy of 4,000 career points. She was coming off an elite performance against the Sparks on Saturday, in which she tallied 37 points to inch closer to the accolade. A much different tale from their first matchup in which the Storm attempted to rally in the fourth quarter but received their fourth lost. Tonight, Seattle started with the least amount of momentum on their side. Los Angeles was off to a quick start, after a Lexie Brown three kicked off their offense within seconds and the Sparks found themselves with a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter. Defensive efforts and offensive persistence helped Seattle climb out of a 21-point deficit for their first win of the season.
Seattle Storm shooting guard Jewell Loyd’s night through pictures, as she tallied 25 points on the night and hit the 4,000 point mark (Photos by Liz Wolter)
The Sparks did a good job of cutting Jewell Loyd out of the offense in the first quarter. Los Angeles forced other players to shoot and only allowed Loyd to take three shot attempts, all misses. The Storm also contributed to a rough offensive start with the lack of movement and isolation of Loyd. As the leader of the team and having just scored 37 points in their last match up, the Sparks did their best to cut Loyd out of the offensive scheme. Rotation and the spark that teammate Jordan Horston brought off the bench helped start the comeback in the second quarter. Loyd saw more shots going in, scoring 13 of her 25 in the second quarter, ending the half four points away from the 4,000 career points milestone. Gold Mamba achieved her milestone with two free throw attempts midway through the third.
Seattle Storm rookie Jordan Horston tallied a career high 14 points (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Horston ended the first half with only six points, but provided points and effort in pivotal moments to keep the Strom from digging themselves into a deeper hole. She continued the energy and momentum into the second half, creating second chance points for herself and her team, locking down on her defensive assignments. Horston scored a career high 14 points and was crashing the boards tonight, tallying seven rebounds. Arguably, her most important basket of the night came with 53 seconds remaining in the third quarter, a putback that gave the Storm the lead over the Sparks and shifted momentum our way for the remainder of the game.
Horston wasn’t the only rookie that was impactful to the comeback, coach Noelle Quinn had stated prior to the game that the rotating seven had not been finalized; lineups are still being tested. In tonight’s matchup against the Sparks she also tested Jewell Loyd’s leadership on the court, giving her an all-rookie lineup to work with. All rookie players who stepped foot on the court were given more than 10 minutes in the game to compete. A quote that we’ve heard from Storm players in the past that continues to be prominent for the team is “next woman up” mentality. As Jordan Horston completed her player of the game post-game interview she once again reminded us that “next player up is ready, when you’re number is called you have to be ready.”
Seattle Storm power forward/center Ezi Magbegor tallied another double-double in the win (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Along with great efforts from several of Seattle’s players, Ezi Magbegor was able to be a lot more of a presence. In Saturday’s loss to the Sparks Magbegor was in early foul trouble and it altered her game play. In tonight’s win, Ezi recorded her third double-double with 13 points, and 10 rebounds along with three blocks. They were the last team to get into the win column, and look to continue winning as they face the Washington Mystics on Friday, May 9th with a tipoff time of 7PM PST.