Loyd scores 26 to pace Seattle offense while Magbegor records second-straight double-double

SEATTLE – Jewell Loyd poured in 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting and Ezi Magbegor added 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for her second-straight double-double and while Seattle hung with the highly-favored New York Liberty, the visitors pulled away in the third quarter on the way to an 86-78 victory in Climate Pledge Arena.

Facing her former teammates for the first time, former Storm star Breanna Stewart went for a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds on Tuesday night, and the New York Liberty

Loyd’s 26 points marked her third game of 20-plus points this season (with a 30-pointer against Dallas last Friday), and her fifth consecutive regular-season of 20-plus dating back to last August.

The Storm (0-3) was right in the game throughout the first half, and had climbed within three at 53-50 midway through the third quarter.

That’s when Stewart buried back-to-back baskets, sparking a 15-6 New York scoring run that made it 68-56 by the end of the third. The Liberty kept it in double digits throughout most of the fourth, never letting it get closer than the final margin of eight.

“I thought from our group, it was a good effort,” head coach Noelle Quinn said. “We were locked in on our schemes, we pushed some pace, got some good looks. For the majority of the game, I was super proud of our fight and how hard we played.”

New York (3-1 and winner of three in a row) was in front most of the way, thanks to some sharp shooting from the field. The Liberty hit 62.5 percent in the first quarter (10 of 16), and 53.3 percent in the third (8 of 15) on the way to a final mark of 49.1 percent (28 of 57).

“When you have a team (like New York) with multiple, deadly offensive weapons, sometimes your defense just isn’t good enough. They made great shots.” Quinn said.

But the Storm kept staying within reach.

Down 29-21 at the outset of the second quarter, Seattle started a 14-5 scoring run. The last six points of that were consecutive: a driving lay-in by Whitcomb on a second-chance opportunity, a 23-footer from the right of the lane by Loyd, and a lay-in by Jordan Horston off a feed from Kia Nurse. That put the Storm on top, 35-34/

New York responded with the next nine points in a row to take a 43-35 lead. That was part of a 12-4 surge to close the half and give the Liberty a 46-39 lead at the break.

Led by Magbegor’s 14, Seattle had a 35-32 edge on the boards, and committed just eight turnovers.

“We’ve gotten better three games in with a young, new group,” Quinn said. “In every single game, we’ve learned more. We kept our turnovers low today, we out-rebounded them. We shot a little better in the last game (against Dallas), but once we put together the defense and the offense, the symmetry, the chemistry, the synergy, I think a month from now, we’ll be a lot better as long as we continue to compete and play hard.”

The Storm hit 38.4 percent (28 of 73) for the game. They struggled from downtown during the first half, missing all eight tires. But they warmed up considerable from behind the arc during the second half, burying 6 of 10. Sami Whitcomb sparked that by going 3 for 5.

UP NEXT 

The Storm hit the road for the first time this season, visiting the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.  (Fox 13+). The Sparks pay a return visit to Seattle next Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.