Loyd and Whitcomb tally 19 points each to pace Storm offense
SEATTLE — Jewell Loyd and Sami Whitcomb scored 19 points apiece, but the Chicago Sky scored the final nine points of the game on Sunday afternoon to beat the Seattle Storm, 90-85.
Ezi Magbegor added a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Storm (10-25). It was her 10th of the season. Mercedes Russell chipped in a season-high 13 points, getting 11 of those during the first quarter.
Seattle had a 64-50 lead early in the third quarter, but the Sky (14-21) outscored them the rest of the way, 40-21.
Kahleah Cooper put Chicago ahead for good, 86-85, on a 3-pointer with 2:15 to play. She finished with 16 points. Elizabeth Williams, who led all scorers with 23, made it a two-possession game on a pair of free throws with 24.1 seconds to go, making it 89-85.
The Storm got off to a hot offensive start with the help of Russell who came off the bench and erupted in the first quarter with a personal 11-4 run spanning over three minutes, allowing the Storm to extend its edge heading into the second quarter.
Russell’s 11 points are the most the vet’s logged in a single quarter during her career.
The Storm broke open the game with a 22-4 run and claimed the lead with just over a minute to play before halftime. Seattle built on its edge throughout the matchup with the Sky just trailing behind.
With 2:14 left to play, the Sky’s Dana Evans dished the ball over to Kahleah Copper who drained three points, reclaiming the lead 86-85. Elizabeth Williams drained two points at the line followed by one from Copper to seal the win for Chicago.
Off the glass Seattle outrebounded the Sky, 44-33.
Loyd’s point total put her at 799 for the season. She hit a pair of 3-pointers, the first of which was her 100th of the season. That makes her just the fifth player in league history to hit 100-plus in a single season.
The Storm return to action on Thursday at Los Angeles, tipping off at 7:00 p.m.
Up Next
Seattle will kick off its four-game road trip at Los Angeles on Thursday night. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. PT in Crypto.com Arena. Fans can watch the game on FOX13+ and Amazon Prime Video (WA).