By Wyatt Yearout
The Seattle Storm dropped its first road game in nearly a month, falling 87-74 to the Atlanta Dream in a Sunday afternoon matinee.
Storm veteran Sue Bird played in her 500th-career game, breaking DeLisha Milton-Jones’ previous record (499) for the most games played in WNBA history.
Breanna Stewart posted 31 points for Seattle in the loss, marking her third 30-plus point game in the last four contests.
Elizabeth Williams led the way for the Dream with 17 points and nine rebounds.
DEFINING MOMENTS
After battling a small deficit the majority of the first two periods, Seattle went scoreless the final three minutes of the first half, allowing Atlanta to take a 13-point lead into the break at 47-34.
Seattle began to chip away in the third and cut the Dream lead to just eight before Atlanta extended its lead back to 12 at the end of the third at 70-58. The Storm could not put together any sort of run in the final period, ultimately leading to the seventh-straight victory for the Dream.
HUGHES’ TAKE
Head coach Dan Hughes felt like his team’s inability to finish and get to the foul line was a defining factor for the Storm.
“We didn’t finish some plays, and we didn’t get ourselves in situations where we got to the foul line. A lot of the good shots we got inside we just didn’t finish and you’ve got to give Atlanta credit.”
NOTES
- Alysha Clark dished out four assists, tying her season-high, which she has now achieved four times.
- Jewell Loyd recorded double-figures with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting.
- Stewart pulled down her 800th-career rebound with 2:03 left to play in the first quarter.
- Storm forward Crystal Langhorne snagged her 300th-career steal with 3:10 left to go in the second frame and finished with a season-high two takeaways.
- Stewart needs to score 20 or more points in four more games to break her own single-season franchise record of 21, achieved in 2017.
UP NEXT
Seattle plays its final contest before the All-Star break at Indiana on July 24. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m./PT.