SEATTLE – Gabby Williams scored 18 points, one of four Seattle starters in double figures, and the Storm went on a 19-3 fourth-quarter scoring run to beat the Connecticut Sun on Friday night, 79-65.

Nneka Ogwumike had 16 points, Skylar Diggins added 14, and Ezi Magbegor also had 14 – her third straight double-digit game. 

Seattle turned the tables on Connecticut after the Sun prevailed in Uncasville on Wednesday. 

“On any given night, any team can win in this league, no matter what the records indicate,” Head Coach Noelle Quinn said. “The other night, it felt like we didn’t get over the hump when we were supposed to. Today, I felt like we did.”

“I think it’s important for this particular group that hasn’t played together very long to get confidence in those moments and continue to build from those moments is definitely important,” Quinn added.

Seattle used an 8-2 run late in the second quarter to turn a double-digit deficit to just two going into halftime. 

“I’m glad we had a great competitive game, and I think we needed this type of game,” Ogwumike said. “We need to be able to grind things out, keep getting stops even when shots aren’t going in. We need to understand when we get a stop how to capitalize on that type of stop. We were able to get a gritty win, and that’s going to make us better in the long run.”

After the first half with just 11 of its 33 shots going in, the Storm warmed up through the final 20 minutes, hitting 18-of-31 (58 percent), including 4-of-10 beyond the arc. Seattle’s defense limited Connecticut to just 36.2 percent for the game (21-of-58) and 38.5 percent (10-of-26) after halftime. 

“On eight of their last 10 possessions, I believe we ended with a stop. And within that time frame, we had efficiency on offense as well,” Quinn said. “We were getting stops and also converting off those stops, and we didn’t let their physicality, and their disruptive coverage disrupt what we wanted to do. There was a lot of synergy from what we were doing defensively to get us going, and I thought our shot quality was better during that time frame as well.”

Seattle rang up its final 12 points all in a row, making it 79-64. Connecticut didn’t score again until a free throw was made with less than a minute to play in the game. The Storm outscored the Sun during the fourth, 24-13.

Magbegor’s first blocked shot of the game was the 300th of her career, making her the third-youngest player in league history (25 years, 332 days) to reach that milestone. The only two younger to 300 blocks were Storm legend Lauren Jackson (24 years, 48 days) and Brittney Griner (24 years, 313 days). 

“This is my fourth year of playing with Ezi, and she’s one of my favorite teammates that I’ve ever had,” Williams said. “I’m not surprised at all that Ezi is getting these historic numbers. I’m just proud and lucky to call her a teammate.”

UP NEXT: The Storm take on the Washington Mystics for the first time this season on Sunday, July 13. Tipoff is at 3:00 pm and will be broadcast locally on CW Seattle and available for Prime Video users in Washington state.