BRADENTON, Fla. — The Seattle Storm’s (7-1) defense came to play again against one of the league’s best offenses in the Chicago Sky (5-3) in a 89-71 victory.
The Sky were held to a 43.8% field goal percentage, and scored a season-low in points against the league’s best defense in the Storm.
“I was really pleased with the overall effort tonight,” head coach Gary Kloppenburg said. “You know, I think we set the tone defensively early on on how we wanted to disrupt their team.”
Seattle, meanwhile, ran out to a huge lead in the early going, using a well-rounded scoring effort and great ball movement to rocket out to a 15-point first quarter lead. Paced by Breanna Stewart and Sami Whitcomb, who combined for 18 points and nine assists in the first frame, Seattle shot 70% from the field.
The second quarter wasn’t as strong offensively for the Storm, but the defense put on the clamps and held the Sky to 31.4% shooting from the field with just four made threes at the half. With Stewart’s 14 points and six assists leading the way, Seattle led Chicago 46-28 at the break.
The Storm would let the lead slip away a bit in the third quarter, with the Sky bringing it down into single digits, but a quick run led by five double figures scorers helped the Storm finish strong.
Stewart led the way with 25 points and seven assists, but Whitcomb (17 points), Ezi Magbegor (13 points), Alysha Clark (12 points), and Jewell Loyd (10 points) all had double-digit scoring as well.
“One of the things that can be a strength of ours and is an advantage is our depth and our bench. I think for us, this was a really important game in regards to that,” Whitcomb said. “So for us, to be able to hold our own defensively and get out the way we did offensively is something we can absolutely build on.”
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#SayHerName: It has been 150 days since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment. The officers responsible for her death have not been arrested.
SEATTLE HIGHLIGHTS
- With six assists against the Sky, Jordin Canada surpassed 300 assists for her career, with 304. Jewell Loyd also reached a milestone, securing three assists Monday for 500 career dimes.
- Sami Whitcomb set a season-high in points and assists against the Sky off the bench, scoring 17 points and assisting on six baskets.
- The Storm are now riding a five-game winning streak, which has already eclipsed their largest win streak last season of four games. It’s Seattle’s first five-game win streak since it won five straight from Aug. 12 to Aug. 28 in 2018.
- Breanna Stewart remains one of just three players in the WNBA to score over 15 points in every game this season, joining Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale and Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson.
- Rookie Ezi Magbegor scored a career-high 13 points while shooting 6-for-8 from the field. Magbegor currently leads the WNBA in field goal percentage with 70.6%.
UP NEXT
The Storm will take the floor next against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. PT on JoeTV, followed by a matchup with the Dallas Wings on Friday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. PT.