Loyd paces Seattle offense with 28 points and adds 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double
LAS VEGAS – Seattle put up an impressive fight in its final matchup with the defending WNBA champs through the first 30 minutes, but the final 10 minutes were dominated by Las Vegas in a 103-77 win Saturday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Jewell Loyd paced the Storm with 28 points, recording her first double-double of the season by adding 10 rebounds.
The game was close through the first 29 minutes with the Storm trailing by just two at 69-67 after a pair of Loyd free throws with 1:11 to go in the third quarter, but back-to-back three-pointers by Jackie Young to close out the period quickly stretched the lead back to eight as Las Vegas outscored Seattle 36-10 the rest of the way.
Loyd’s impressive performance marked her 18th game this season scoring 25 or more points in a game, the most by any player in 2023 and the second-most all-time. The WNBA’s leading scorer this season at 24.3 points per game, finished the contest with 852 points this year, just eight points shy of Diana Taurasi’s record of 860 set in 2006.
Loyd’s double-double marked her first since she posted a 20-point, 10-rebound game at Chicago on July 18, 2018 and was the fourth of her career. It was also her first double-double against a team other than Chicago.
Sami Whitcomb helped keep Seattle in the game, making four three-pointers and adding four rebounds, four assists and a block. The game marked the 29th-straight game Whitcomb has made at least one three-pointer, the second longest active streak in the WNBA and the second longest of her career.
Ezi Magbegor had a strong performance on both ends of the floor. Magbegor knocked down 12 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished three assists.
Jordan Horston contributed across the board with six points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
Turnovers remained a weak link for the Storm as Seattle committed 17 turnovers including six in the pivotal fourth quarter. Las Vegas, which committed just nine turnovers, was able to score 20 points off Seattle’s miscues.
The Aces’ A’ja Wilson and Loyd went head-to-head throughout the matchup, combining for 58 points with Wilson tallying 30 points and adding 10 rebounds.
Up Next
The Storm will head to face the Atlanta Dream on Sept. 6. to close its 2023 season series. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT in Gateway Center Arena and can be watched on FOX 13+ and streamed locally on Amazon Prime Video and nationally on NBA TV.