Five Seattle players score in double-figures led by 21 from Skylar Diggins-Smith
By Mark Moschetti, Seattle Storm
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Seattle Storm keeps passing the tough tests … in part because they keep passing the basketball.
Skylar Diggins-Smith had 21 points and six assists, Jewell Loyd added 19 plus six assists, and the Storm had 26 helpers altogether to pull away from the Dallas Wings in the fourth quarter on Thursday night for a 92-84 victory inside College Park Center.
Ezi Magbegor came up with her fourth double-double of the season, this one with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike chipped in 17 points, and Jordan Horston tallied 10.
Seattle (9-4) won its second straight and eighth in the last nine games. The Storm finished 4-1 in Commissioner’s Cup play, but the tiebreakers to make the championship game did not favor them.
The 26 assists – seven of which came on the Storm’s eight fourth-quarter field goal makes – was the third-highest total of the season, trailing only the 29 at Indiana on May 30 and 27 at home against Washington on May 25. It was Seattle’s second straight game with at least 20 and sixth of the year. Seven of the eight players who saw action got into the assist column with at least two.
After taking a 48-40 lead into the break, the Storm led through the entire second half against a Dallas team (3-8) that lost its sixth straight while two key starters – Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard – are out with injuries. Twice during the third quarter, Seattle increased its advantage to double digits, but the Wings were still within reach at 71-62 heading into the fourth.
Dallas got the first five points of that final period on a jumper by Monique Billings and a 3-pointer by Arike Ogunbowale, making it 71-67.
The Storm answered in a big way with a 9-0 scoring run, and Horston had a hand in all nine of those points. She started with back-to-back lay-ins for a 75-67 lead. Then, with the ball being knocked around near the foul line, Horston gained control of it, found Sami Whitcomb behind the 3-point arc on the left side, and Whitcomb nailed it. Horston then got another lay-in off a feed from Diggins-Smith for an 80-67 margin with 6:55 left.
It was still 12 at 88-76 when the Wings put five straight on the board for 88-81 with 2:14 remaining. But Seattle locked it down, adding two free throws from Ogwumike and two from Magbegor, and not allowing another Dallas point until Lou Lopez-Senechal drained a trey at the buzzer.
BY THE NUMBERS
— Magbegor finished with two blocked shots, ending her streak of getting three or more at eight straight games. That was one game shy of tying Lisa Leslie’s league record of nine, which she set in 2008. However, Magbegor extended her own Storm record of games with two or more blocks to 14, a streak that is tied for the fourth-longest in WNBA history.
— Seattle had its third-best shooting night of the season, hitting 52.2 percent (36-of-69). Of the eight Storm players who played, six hit 50 percent or better, Horston was at 80 percent (4-of-5), and league-leading shooter Ogwumike connected on 53.8 percent (7-of-13).
— The Storm enjoyed their most accurate night of the year at the free throw line, hitting 13 of 14 for 92.9 percent. The previous high was 90.9 (20 of 22) at Las Vegas on June 7. Ogwumike, Magbegor, Loyd, Horston, and Mercedes Russell were all 2 of 2. Diggins-Smith was 3 of 4.
— Ogunbowale led Dallas with 24 points. She got 15 of those behind the arc on 5-of-9 long-range shooting. Teaira McCowan had a double-double of 19 points and 10 boards.
— With both teams shooting well (Dallas hit 47.7 percent), there weren’t many rebounds to be had. The Storm finished with 26; Dallas pulled down 28.
UP NEXT
The Storm visit Phoenix on Sunday, tipping off at noon (ABC). Seattle beat the Mercury on June 4 in Climate Pledge Arena, 80-62. Since then, Brittney Griner has returned to action for Phoenix.
—— StormBasketball.com ——