Breanna Stewart scores 27 points for the Storm

SEATTLE – The Seattle Storm (5-4) fell 68-51 to the Dallas Wings (6-4) in a night where the defenses prevailed at Climate Pledge Arena. 

Despite Breanna Stewart’s 27 points, the rest of Seattle’s roster didn’t have much success on offense. Stewart dropped 10 of the Storm’s 20 field goals, with the team as a whole shooting only 31.7% from the field. She also had eight rebounds, four blocks, three steals and an assist in the game. Jewell Loyd added 13 points to go along with four assists and a pair of rebounds.

Seattle’s biggest struggles came from beyond the arc where the team connected on just 5-of-29 from deep. It was just the fifth time the Storm had made five or fewer three-pointers when attempting at least 25 in franchise history.

The Storm defense had more success than the offense, holding Dallas to just 68 points—the second-fewest scored against Seattle this season. Seattle, which already ranked second in the WNBA in defensive rating coming into the game, has now posted back-to-back games holding teams under 70 points.

Alisha Gray led Dallas with 18 points, and Arike Ogunbowale was close behind with 16.

The Storm joined the rest of the WNBA in hosting #WearOrange night and demanding a future free from gun violence. Both Storm and Wings players wore orange shirts for warmups, and thousands of fans wore orange as well. 

Seattle returns to action on Sunday, hosting the Connecticut Sun at 3:00 p.m. at Climate Pledge Arena.

—— StormBasketball.com ——

 

 

STORY OF THE GAME

• After falling behind early, Seattle pulled within four at halftime only to see Dallas outscored the Storm 37-24 in the second half to pull away with the win.
• Dallas’ big second half started with a 10-2 run, bookended by three-pointers from Allisha Gray (7:24 mark) and Arike Ogunbowale (5:24 mark) to take a commanding 46-33 lead.

KEY STATS OF THE GAME

• The Storm defense held Dallas to 68 points—13 points below its scoring average. It was the second-fewest points allowed by Seattle in a game this season after the 61 tallied by New York on Sunday.
• Seattle shot just 31.7% from the field and 17.2% (5-of-29) from three-point range in the game—just the fifth time making five or fewer three-pointers when attempting at least 25 in franchise history.
• The Storm’s 51 points were the fewest since scoring 45 in a 68-45 loss at Tulsa on June 9, 2015.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

• Breanna Stewart led all scorers with 27 points, adding eight rebounds, three steals, and four blocks. The WNBA’s leading scorer upped her scoring average to 21.6 ppg in 2022, just behind her average of 21.8 ppg during her MVP season in 2018. She also maintained her league-best 3.0 steals/gm average.
• Jewell Loyd poured in 13 points and contributed four assists and two rebounds.
• Briann January recorded a season-high seven assists—her most since tallying seven helpers vs Washington on Aug. 30, 2020.

WINGS HIGHLIGHTS

• Three Dallas players scored in double digits: Allisha Gray (18), Arike Ogunbowale (16) and Satou Sabally (11). Sabally also grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds, recording her first double-double of the year.

MILESTONES

• Breanna Stewart connected on her 250th career three-pointer in career game #156. She is only the 4th Storm player to record 250+ 3pt FGs and the second-fastest behind Sue Bird (153 games).
• Briann January hit a three-pointer at the 5:24 mark of the 2nd quarter to become the 75th player in WNBA history to score 3,000 career points. She is also one of 12 players to record at least 3,000 points, 1,275 assists and 300 steals in their career.

NEXT GAME

The Storm is back at it on Sunday, hosting the Connecticut Sun at 3:00 p.m. inside Climate Pledge Arena. The game will be broadcasted locally on FOX 13 and Amazon Prime Video.