Loyd scores career-high 38, but Storm falls to Aces, 109-100

Seattle ties WNBA record with 18 made three-pointers

LAS VEGAS – Jewell Loyd recorded career-highs with 38 points and eight three-pointers made, but despite tying a WNBA record with 18 three-pointers in the game, the Seattle Storm were unable to wrap up the regular season with a win, falling 109-100 to the Las Vegas Aces  on Sunday afternoon at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

The Storm wraps up the regular season at 22-14, finishing with the fourth seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs. The Aces secure the top seed and post a 26-10 mark on the year.

Loyd paced the Seattle offense with 38 points, hitting 13-of-23 from the field and 8-of-14 from three-point range. It was the third-straight time Loyd had scored 30+ in her regular-season finale, tallying 30 in 2020, her then-career-best of 37 last season, then 38 in 2022.

Breanna Stewart wrapped up the regular season with 21 points, scoring in double-figured in each of her 34 games played this year. She heads into the 2023 season with the longest active streak of double-digit scoring games at 34. Stewart also tallied another double-double, adding 15 rebounds including a career-best six on the offensive glass.

The Aces got off to a hot start, opening up a 17-8 lead at the 4:27 mark and taking a 24-13 lead with four minutes left in the quarter. Seattle still trailed by 10 with just over a minute to go before rattling off seven-straight points to pull within three at 29-26 at the end of the first quarter.

Seattle kept that run going, extending it to 15-0 over the first two minutes of the second quarter to go up 34-29. Still leading by five three minutes later, the Storm used a quick 7-0 run to take a 46-34 lead at the 4:07 mark. After Loyd three-pointer with 2:37 left put Seattle back up by double-digits at 51-40, the Storm offense went could as Las Vegas closed out the half on a 10-0 run to make it a one-point game at 51-50 at the half.

Seattle started out the game hitting just 7-of-21 from the field to start the game, but caught fire at the end of the first quarter, hitting 11-of-12 over a seven-minute stretch including five-straight to close out the first quarter.

In the third quarter, Seattle used an 11-2 run to take a 10-point lead on a Briann January three-pointer to make it 76-66 with 1:58 left in the period. But the Aces responded with a long 14-0 run spanning the third quarter break, going up 80-76 with 9:46 to go in the game.

The game went back and forth from there with the two offenses trading big buckets. Stewart put Seattle back on top at 91-90 with 4:39 to go, getting her own rebound off a missed shot and putting it back in. Las Vegas scored the next six to go back up five, but the Storm reeled them back in on layups by Stewart and Loyd to make it 96-95 Aces with 1:28 left. But it was all Aces the rest of the way as Vegas made two free throws the next trip down, then blocked back-to-back Storm layups before Kelsey Plum drained a three to take a six-point lead with 59 seconds to play and not trail again.

Gabby Williams tallied 11 points for the Storm, adding five rebounds and two assists, while January scored nine in her final regular-season WNBA contest. Sue Bird, who was also playing her the final regular-season contest of 21-year WNBA career, scored six points while adding seven assists. The WNBA’s all-time assist leader wraps up her career with 3,234 assists—634 more than any other player. She also recorded her 1,000th three-pointer early in her final game, becoming one of two players in WNBA history with 1,000 career three-pointers.

Seattle tallied a franchise record 307 points over its final three games, reaching the 100-point mark twice over that stretch.

The 2022 Seattle Storm Playoffs Presented by Symetra begin next week with Seattle hosting the Washington Mystics in game one of a three-game series on Thursday, Aug. 18, at 7:00 p.m. at Climate Pledge Arena.