3rd Quarter Dooms Storm as Sun win 85-79

Jewell Loyd's 33-point effort wasn't enough for Seattle to get the W.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm played the Connecticut Sun tough through the first two periods before going ice-cold in the third quarter. That was the story of the game as Connecticut used a 22-8 quarter to take full control of the contest. They never let up despite a strong rally by the Storm late in the 4th quarter. The Sun held on to win the game 85-79.

“It felt like there was a lid on the basket. I thought that we got decent shots. We got to the rim. Missed some bunnies. We stopped doing the things that got us the lead. We were efficient in the first half. It was a difficult third quarter but I thought the other quarters were pretty decent.” Coach Noelle Quinn said after the game.

Jewell Loyd led the Storm in scoring with 33 points after putting up a career-high 39 points in her previous game against Dallas. Loyd hit six more three-pointers and finished 11-12 from the Free Throw line. As a team, Seattle knocked down 23-29 FT (+7 more than Connecticut).

Both Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston finished with a double-double. Magbegor scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Horston added 11 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. It was Horston’s second career double-double. While the stat can be deceptive, Horston did finish the game with a +18 in plus/minus. That means the Storm outscored the Sun by 18 points while she was on the floor.

I spoke with Coach Quinn about Horston’s performance and her ability to rebound for the team.

“It helps us tremendously. Her athleticism and her ability to just give us some extra possessions offensively. Take the load off of Ezi. Getting into the paint and allowing us to get some easier looks from two. Just because she’s athletically gifted, it helps. She’s done an amazing job as a rookie. When she rebounds like that and can be consistent with some scoring. She hit a three. We just need to get her to the free throw line. And once again, she’s defending a very top player in Alyssa Thomas and DB as well. We played her at the three and she showed she can provide some good things there.” Quinn replied.

After the game, Loyd also talked with me about Jordan’s performance.

“Her activity level is what makes her unique in this league. The more she’s active the better she is. When she’s calm and understands what she needs to be doing on the court she’s magnificent. That’s what we need and what we’re seeing from her every day in practice. It’s exciting to see her grow throughout the season. She’s staying with it and she makes me very proud.” Jewell told me.

Connecticut Sun

All five starters for Connecticut scored in double figures. DeWanna Bonner led the team in scoring with 20 points and six rebounds. Alyssa Thomas managed to have a “quiet” triple-double. At no point did it really feel like Thomas was dominating the game and yet she finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Natisha Hiedeman added 17 points and hit some clutch three-pointers. Tiffany Hayes added 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Brionna Jones contributed with 13 points before going down with a non-contact leg injury.

The Sun outshot the Storm 46% (32-69 FG) to 38% (24-64 FG). They dominated inside the paint outscoring Seattle 52-30. Thanks to Thomas’s performance Connecticut had significantly more assists (25-18). They edged Seattle in fast break points (15-13) and rebounds (38-34).

I spoke with Coach Quinn about the difficulties of keeping Connecticut out of the paint.

“It’s extremely difficult to stop them. They live in the paint. The majority of their offense is twos. That is from post-ups, getting downhill into the paint. They are difficult because of their size and their length. They post a lot of mismatches at every position honestly. DB plays a wing but she’s as tall as a post player. They are very physical, get to where they want to get to, and they are efficient as well.” Quinn told me.

Game Breakdown

Connecticut won the tip-off and immediately had the ball on their end of the court. An easy two-on-one resulted in Tiffany Hayes scoring the game’s first basket. DeWanna Bonner then scored on the next possession to put the Sun up 4-0 early. Seattle picked up their defense and forced Connecticut into a 24-second shot clock violation on their third offensive possession.

Jewell Loyd got double-teamed and found Mercedes Russell open near the basket but Russell blew the open layup. Hayes then got into the paint easily again to put the Sun up six points forcing Coach Noelle Quinn to call a timeout.

Russell was able to score while Seattle was in transition however she also had a couple of turnovers in between that score. Brionna Jones scored on a cut to the rim but Jewell Loyd was able to respond with a three-ball to cut Connecticut’s lead to three at 10-7.

Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas scored baskets for the Sun while Ezi Magbegor scored on back-to-back possessions for the Storm. A nice give-and-go from Jewell Loyd to Joyner Holmes and back to Loyd resulted in an AND1 tying the game at 18-18.

With the Sun leading 22-19, Jewell knocked down two triples to put the Storm ahead 25-22 at the end of the first period. Loyd had 14 points in the first quarter.

DiJonai Carrington and Olivia Nelson-Ododa each scored quick baskets in the paint to begin the quarter for Connecticut. DeWanna Bonner made back-to-back shots inside the paint. Then Natisha Hiedeman stole a pass and raced down the other way for two more. A quick 10-0 run by the Sun forced Coach Quinn into another timeout.

Bonner would score again after the timeout before Jordan Horston scored to end the 12-0 run by Connecticut. Loyd subbed back in and immediately knocked down another three. Magbegor scored again and then Sami Whitcomb was able to draw a foul where she connected on both free throws. Loyd was then able to draw a foul and made both of her free throws as well. After Brionna Jones scored again in the paint, Loyd was able to find Jordan Horston cutting into the paint through defenders. Horston was able to finish which capped off a 15-4 run by the Storm.

Seattle was able to play Connecticut tight throughout the remainder of the first half. Both teams swapped the lead a couple of times. Bonner hit a three to put the Sun up three. Loyd immediately responded with her own triple. Jewell then found Horston again for another score. That connection was working quite well in the second period for the Storm. Sami Whitcomb buried a three to briefly put the Storm up five before Bonner would score again with another layup to end the first half.

The home team led 48-45 through the first twenty minutes. Loyd led Seattle with 22 points. Bonner led Connecticut with 14 points including 11 in the second period. Connecticut outshot the Storm overall, 50% (19-38 FG) to 46% (16-35 FG). However, Seattle was considerably better from beyond the arc shooting 40% (6-15 FG from deep) compared to the Sun’s 14% (1-7 FG). Connecticut dominated inside the paint outscoring Seattle 34-20 in the first half.

Natisha Hiedeman buried a three to tie the game and then Alyssa Thomas was able to score off an offensive rebound to put Connecticut back on top. Jones knocked down two free throws for Connecticut and then Hiedeman hit another triple to put the Sun up six at 57-51. Tiffany Hayes then drove aggressively into the lane, made the basket, and was fouled by Ivana Dojkić to complete the three-point play. This put the Sun up nine points, their largest lead of the game up to this point.

Jordan Horston then made a nice play racing from one end to the other and finishing at the rim. Sadly that was one of the few shots the Storm made in the entire third period. Connecticut outscored Seattle 22-8 in the quarter to take a 67-56 lead into the final frame. Jewell was held to just one made free throw in the quarter after scoring 22 points in the 1st half.

“We just had a lull. They didn’t. We got going again in the 4th but you can’t do that when playing really good teams. You can’t do that in this league.” Jewell Loyd said after the game.

“Honestly, the shots that we were taking were in and out. They weren’t bad shots. We were making those in the first half. When the shots do that, your offense can get stagnant. When you’re not getting stops as well it makes it feel a lot worse. We have to do a better job as a whole (team) to break the momentum of the other team to get us going as well. That’s on us. It’s a learning experience and something we’ll figure out.” She added.

Hayes was able to score first for the Sun to put them up thirteen. Points from Magbegor and Loyd briefly cut it down to single digits before Connecticut went on a 10-1 run that was capped off by another three-ball from Hiedeman. That put the Sun up 79-61.

Seattle battled to the very end using a 15-3 run to get within five at 82-77. DeWanna Bonner put the nail in the coffin by knocking down a three-pointer with 26 seconds left in the game. The Storm got two more points from Dojkić at the foul line but ran out of time. At the buzzer, the Sun held on to win the game 85-79.

Additional Analysis

SuperStar vs Balanced Team

This was a good example of how basketball truly is a team game. Jewell Loyd did her thing. She was incredible. Another 30+ point performance for Seattle’s All-Star guard. And while Ezi and Jordan were admirable in their contributions, the team got almost nothing from the other six players that were out on the court.

“EV (Ivana Dojkić) had a tough game today. She wasn’t efficient offensively. We had some sporadic scoring. We do need more consistency from our group in general. We see when other players contribute on the offensive end, it helps tremendously to have multiple scorers. Again, we were going against a very good defense. It’s tough.” Coach Quinn stated after the game.

Dojkić had her worst game since entering the starting lineup. She finished with just five points on 1-6 FG shooting in 30 minutes of action. She also missed half of her free throws (3-6 FT). It was the first time in five games that she didn’t score in double figures.

In this game, Kia Nurse, Mercedes Russell, Ivana Dojkić, and Sami Whitcomb all struggled. They all scored five points or less. By comparison, all five of Connecticut’s starters scored in double figures ranging from 12-20 points.

Jewell Loyd can lead the WNBA in scoring throughout the entire season. But Seattle needs several of her teammates to step up. If they don’t, the Storm won’t make the playoffs. This league is extremely competitive from top to bottom. One superstar player won’t beat a well-balanced team.

Stephanie White vs Curt Miller

The Connecticut Sun made the WNBA Finals last season ultimately falling to the Las Vegas Aces in four games. They finished last season with the third-best record in the WNBA at 25-11, good for a .694 win percentage.

In the offseason, Curt Miller moved on from Connecticut and joined the Los Angeles Sparks as their head coach. Stephanie White has stepped in and has been very effective in keeping the ship running.

Through 13 games, the Sun are 10-3. They are below only the Las Vegas Aces (10-1) in league standings. A little over a quarter of the season, White has the Sun winning at a .769 clip.

I spoke with Coach Quinn about noticeable differences

“Their pace is different. They still aren’t shooting a lot of threes. Offensively, with Curt, he was very particular about what they ran and who they ran it for. Thomas is play-making way more. Bringing the ball up and utilizing ball screens a lot more. I think the spacing and their pace are things I’d point to.” Quinn told me.

Loyd as a player had a slightly different perspective when asked how the team compares under the two different coaches.

“Yes and no. The players are the same. It’s hard to change how players play in general. They are still aggressive defensively. They have great ability on the ball screens. They high hedge. They’ve always been really good in the passing lanes. That’s been their MO. On the offensive side, they go inside a lot but they’ve always done that. So I don’t know. They seem about the same. They’re a good team!” Jewell added.

Just Competing is Not Enough

“I think the identity of this team is that we play fast and we fight. That’s who we are. We understand our expectations in the locker room. To do that you have to be locked in. You have to compete no matter who is on the floor or who you’re playing against. That’s just basketball in general. Hold yourself and your teammates accountable. For us, we never feel like we’re out of a game. We want to compete. We want to get there. That’s what you want on a championship team, a playoff team, or a team that’s rebuilding. You want to have that fight and we do here in Seattle.” Loyd said after the game.

Jordan Horston had some interesting things to say after the game as well.

“I don’t know why people are surprised we’re (competitive) in games. Because we expect that. We go into the games thinking we’re going to knock them off. We aren’t in the game, saying ‘Yes, we’re in the game. Oh, we only lost by six.’ No, we want to win! We are competitors. No, we are not happy that we lost! We feel like we could beat that team, we feel like we can beat any team. It’s encouraging that you can see we can play like that. But we need to learn how to finish and capitalize on some things. It’s all growing pains. It’s a new team. We belong in this league. I don’t know why people are shocked we’re in games with people.” Horston added.

Coach Quinn was pleased to hear that.

“Good she was listening to me in the post-game. It’s true. The expectation for our group in our locker room is to continue to get better every single day. That’s a very good expectation for this group. We are in a game, winning at halftime against the #2 team in this league. That’s not enough though. We have to want more. How do we get over the hump? How do we expect more? It’s just in our effort and what we do. If I come into a game thinking ‘We aren’t even supposed to be here anyways.’ NO! We are supposed to be here because we are here. That’s the growth for this team. We are capable of being in games and winning games in this league. For this young group to see that and experience that early on, I love that! Know that this is going to help us now and in the future. The expectation can’t be ‘Oh we did OK against Connecticut’. No, we can be in games and potentially beat the top teams in this league.” Coach Quinn added on.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (3-8) will host #1 overall pick Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever (4-7) on Thursday, June 22nd at 7:00 PM at Climate Pledge Arena. This should be a really fun game as two young teams that are improving and trying to ascend into the playoff picture.

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