By Wyatt Yearout

The Storm dropped its first road of the season as the team fell to the Dallas Wings on Friday night by a final margin of 94-90.

Breanna Stewart led the way for Seattle with 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Natasha Howard chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds.

Skylar-Diggins Smith put in 27 points and seven assists to lead the way for the Wings. Liz Cambage had 25 points and seven rebounds as well as two blocks.

DEFINING MOMENTS

The Wings were aggressive out the gate and shot 78.9 percent from the field in the opening quarter, hitting 15 total field goals in the opening period. Seattle shot 50 percent in the first, but Dallas’ hot shooting gave them a 14 point lead after one.

Seattle scored just five points in the first seven minutes of the second quarter while the Dallas offense continued to roll, allowing the Wings to extend their lead at one point to 26 points.

The Storm reversed rolls in the third, opening the quarter on a 15-4 run and eventually outscoring the Wings 24-11 in the period to cut the lead to just two points entering the fourth quarter.

Seattle tied the game up at 74-74 with 7:17 remaining, marking the first tie of the game. The Dallas lead hovered around two points for the next several minutes until the Wings went on a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter to extend their lead to eight points with just 1:56 to play.

A few big shots from Stewart cut the lead to just two points at several points with under a minute left, but the Wings were able to convert on all their free throws late, and eventually secure the win.

HUGHES’ TAKE

Head coach Dan Hughes thought the real difference maker down the stretch was Cambage, who tallied 17 of her 25 points in the final period.

“I think we had a hard time dealing with her. She made key baskets consistently, and we never got the lead. We missed a couple good opportunities, and we tied it, but they were playing through Cambage. We tried a couple different strategies but never really got her under control down the stretch.”

NOTES

• Seattle was without veterans Sue Bird (rest) and Crystal Langhorne (right rib).
• Making her first career WNBA start, rookie Jordin Canada finished with nine points. She also had nine assists and five steals – both of which were career highs.
• Howard posted two or more blocks in a game for the fifth time this season. She now has 12 blocks in 2018.
• The Storm held the Wings to just 11 points in the third quarter, owning a 26-11 advantage in the frame. The 11 points marked a season low for points allowed by the Storm in any quarter.
• Seattle shot 87 percent from the free throw line, going 20-for-23 at the stripe. The Storm has shot 87 percent or better in five of its seven games this season.
• Canada’s nine assists ties Stewart for second all-time in the Storm record books for assists in a game for a rookie. Sue Bird dished out 12 in a game during the 2002 campaign.

UP NEXT
The Storm will have a brief rest until its next meeting against the Sparks in Los Angeles on June 7 at STAPLES Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m./PT, with the game being broadcasted live on ESPN2.