MINNEAPOLIS – A big comeback couldn’t have come at a bigger time for the Seattle Storm.

Down by 21 points midway through the second quarter, Seattle proceeded to outscore Minnesota by a 60-33 margin during the second half on Thursday to beat the league-leading Lynx inside the Target Center, 93-79.

Skylar Diggins scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half and Gabby Williams added 16, including a game-clinching 3-point dagger with 1:29 left. 

Nneka Ogwumike chipped in 12 points. Dominique Malonga and Erica Wheeler each contributed 13 off the bench.

“Coming on the road and having a game like this against the No. 1 team gives us confidence plus the momentum we’ve been searching for,” said Head Coach Noelle Quinn. “This type of game at this juncture of the season – this was a good one for us. We showed a lot of resiliency, being down, having 34 points in the (third) quarter, going on a run in the second half. The defense was connected and there was execution offensively."

Seattle was down 39-18 with 5:50 left before halftime. A 15-3 run cut it to 42-32 before Minnesota pushed it back to 13 by the break.

“During the 21-point deficit, we weren’t getting back in transition defense. We were just trying to clean up areas, possession by possession, and cut the lead at every mark we could,” Quinn said. “Their resilience, their fight, their will – they didn’t say die. There was never a point where we felt defeated or deflated.”

“We took care of every possession, improved every possession and walked away with a victory.”

The Lynx were up 59-45 halfway through the third quarter when the Storm put together a 22-4 run to take a four-point edge going into the final 10 minutes. Seattle doubled up on Minnesota in the third, 34-17.

“That 22-4 (run), we didn’t call a play – we played transition ball,” Wheeler said. “That’s what got us back in the game. We knew they were a little desperate – we were, too. We just kept that momentum, and we played off that.”

Seattle stayed ahead the rest of the way.

Thursday’s victory was the fourth on the five-game road trip and was a significant bounce back from Tuesday’s loss at Indiana.

“We were trying to have short-term memory,” Diggins said, “We were pretty successful until Indiana and we wanted to respond. We know this team never loses at home, and they rarely lose. It was just about us staying together. That 34-point third quarter was a big deal. But the most impressive thing was defensively holding them to 17 and 16 in the third and fourth.”

In the second half, Seattle shot a blistering 57.1 percent (20-of-35), including 57.9 percent (11-of-19) beyond the arc. For the game, the Storm was at 44.3 percent (31-of-70) and 48.5 percent downtown (16-of-33).

The defense limited the Lynx to just 36.1 percent in the second half (13-of-36) and 16.7 percent (2-of-12) from three.

That 14-point final margin capped what amounted to a 35-point comeback.

“It’s always the best win. All of them are the best win,” Wheeler said. “Today, all wins are the best win.” 

Ezi Magbegor had five of the Storm’s 10 blocked shots, her fourth time this season with at least that many. Her third one broke her own single-season franchise record of 82. Her fifth one of the night put her at No. 25 on the WNBA’s all time blocks list with 340 career swats.

Seattle’s 93 points tied for the second-most allowed by Minnesota this season. The most they’ve given up is 94 – that came on June 11 in Seattle when the Storm handed them their first loss of the year, 94-84.

Kayla McBride led Minnesota with 20 points. Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier added 18 apiece.

UP NEXT: The Storm head home for its annual Believe in Women night on Saturday, August 30. Tipoff for the matchup against the Chicago Sky is at 6:00 pm PT and will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.