Huge 2nd half Lifts Dream Over Storm 94-87
Atlanta earned an impressive victory on the road.
(Seattle, WA) - Friday night’s game between the Seattle Storm (3-3) and the Atlanta Dream (5-2) was the classic “A tale of two halves”. Seattle looked to be in full control of the game through the first 20 minutes. They led by 15 points in the 2nd quarter and by 11 at the midway point. A quick 6-0 outburst to open the third period gave the Storm their largest lead of the game, up 17 at 51-34. Over the final 18:34 of the game, the Atlanta Dream outscored Seattle 60-36 on their way to a 94-87 win.
Seattle did not play a poor game. Atlanta just rode the momentum of their rally and executed better than the Storm down the stretch. The home team cut the deficit to two at 82-80 with just over three minutes left. The Dream outscored Seattle 12 to 7 to end the game.
Four players scored in double figures for the Storm. Skylar Diggins led the team with 20 points. Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Both Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler contributed 14 points. They had a great, balanced attack despite the loss.
The Storm outshot the Dream overall 51% (34-67 FG) to 45% (34-76 FG). Seattle outscored Atlanta 52-44 with points in the paint, 12-10 in fast break points, and 19-16 in second-chance opportunities.
Atlanta Dream
Rhyne Howard had by far her best game of the season as she scored a season-high 33 points on 12-24 FG shooting. She also had six rebounds and five assists. Her running mate, Allisha Gray, stepped up huge as she scored 21 of her 28 points in the 2nd half. Gray got to the foul line frequently and made 9-11 FT. Brionna Jones added 15 points on 70% FG shooting. The three of them combined for 76 of the Dream’s 94 points.
The game’s free throw disparity was not unbalanced. The Dream made 17-23 FT attempts compared to the Storm’s 16-20 FT. However, Atlanta had seven AND1 opportunities in the second half. This fired up the Dream’s bench and players on the court and swung the momentum in their favor. Most of those moments came in the third quarter when they cut Seattle’s 17-point lead down to two.
It was a genius move by Dream Coach Karl Smesko in the 2nd half. The Storm were crushing the Dream in their two-center lineup with Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. Griner went 1-7 FG from the floor in the game but only played one minute in the 2nd half. Instead, Smesko replaced her with Naz Hillmon. Hillmon was scrappy and pulled down multiple offensive rebounds. She finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Six of those were offensive, giving her teammates several additional chances.
The unsung stat of the game. Brittney Griner was a -22 (minus) and Naz Hillmon was a game-high +24 off the bench in plus/minus.
Atlanta forced Seattle into more turnovers (15 to 11). They out-rebounded the Storm 35-33 with a 13-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. But the real separator was the Dream’s three-point shooting. Atlanta made 9-31 FG from beyond the arc compared to Seattle’s 3-11 FG. They outscored Seattle by 18 points from the three-point line.
Game Breakdown
The Storm started the game off with two turnovers. Seattle’s defense held strong for the first couple of possessions. Skylar Diggins scored off a strong drive to the rim. Allisha Gray responded with a three-pointer. Nneka Ogwumike hit a mid-range jumper near the free throw line. After another stop, Skylar was fouled and made both free throws. Ogwumike scored again down low. Seattle got another deflection and steal, and Diggins finished at the rim to put the Storm up 10-3. This forced Dream Coach Karl Smesko to call a quick timeout.
Out of the timeout, Rhyne Howard was able to score in the lane. Erica Wheeler responded on the other end with her own. Howard hit a three-pointer in transition. Li Yueru was able to tip a rebound back to Nneka, and she was able to score on the putback. Howard scored again on a drive to the rim. Zia Cooke scored off an AND1 after she grabbed her own offensive rebound. That put Seattle up 21-10.
The Dream scored five quick points with Naz Hillmon scoring two at the foul line and Te-hina Paopao drilling a three-pointer. At the end of the first period, the Storm led 23-15.
Gabby Williams got to the rim to score. Then Dominique Malonga was able to beat Brittney Griner down the court for two. Griner responded with a basket on the other end. Then Atlanta collected multiple offensive rebounds before Brionna Jones eventually scored at the rim. Rhyne Howard then got a deflection that resulted in another transition basket. The quick 6-0 run forced Coach Noelle Quinn to call a timeout.
Seattle responded with a 7-0 run of their own. Ezi Magbegor beat BG to the rim. Zia Cooke hit a corner three. And Skylar was fouled for two free throws. Allisha Gray was fouled on the other end. Seattle committed four turnovers in a row. Two by Gabby Williams, one from Wheeler, and one from Li. Naz Hillmon, Rhyne Howard, and Brionna Jones scored to cut Seattle’s 15-point lead down to eight.
Li Yueru answered back with an AND1 with a nice up and under past Bri Jones. Gray scored again off another offensive rebound for the Dream. Yueru was able to draw a couple more fouls and made two more free throws. Rhyne Howard again with a dribble pull-up. Erica Wheeler scored on the Storm’s final possession of the first half. Seattle led 45-34 through the first two quarters.
Nneka Ogwumike scored to begin the 2nd half. Erica Wheeler and Skylar Diggins added back-to-back jumpshots, and the Storm quickly started the third period on a 6-0 run. That put the Storm ahead by 17 points at 51-34, forcing Coach Smesko into another timeout.
Out of the timeout, Rhyne Howard was able to draw two consecutive AND1 opportunities, drawing fouls against Nneka and Ezi. Skylar answered back with her traditional three-point play, getting past Brionna Jones for the basket and a foul. Gabby Williams hit a three-pointer.
Atlanta would get around a half dozen AND1 calls in the quarter. That helped fire up the Dream. Erica Wheeler even got a Technical Foul. Atlanta’s three-point shooting started to heat up as Naz Hillmon and Allisha Gray each knocked down triples. Te-Hina Paopao also scored an uncontested shot at the rim.
Skylar scored more at the foul line. Ezi was able to roll to the rim for two. Naz Hillmon made a beautiful pass to Allisha Gray for the layup. Naz Hillmon then got another layup. The Dream erased a 17-point deficit in a single quarter and trailed by just three at the end of the third at 66-63.
Brionna Jones scored another AND1 to tie the game to begin the 4th. Dom Malonga scored down low. Rhyne Howard tied the game back up at 70-70. Zia Cooke then fouled Allisha Gray on a three-point attempt. Gray made two of the three free throws to give Atlanta their first lead since the beginning of the first quarter. The call was upgraded to a Flagrant-1 for a reckless closeout. Gray then made a three-pointer for a five-point possession.
The Storm countered by getting the ball to Nneka Ogwumike. She was able to draw a foul and then scored off the pick-and-roll with Skylar. Seattle couldn’t stop fouling, and Allisha Gray scored again. Rhyne Howard was fouled and made both free throws.
Atlanta’s offensive rebounding continued to kill Seattle down the stretch. They got multiple looks and eventually cashed in with a Rhyne Howard three-ball. Wheeler did her best to keep Seattle in the game, knocking down a pull-up jumper and drawing a foul. Skylar then knocked down a jumper to cut the Storm’s deficit down to two.
Allisha Gray drew another foul to put Atlanta back on top by four. A basket by Bri Jones put the Dream up six. Ezi Magbegor scored down low, but then Rhyne Howard hit the dagger, connecting on a three-pointer to put Atlanta up seven points with under 1:30 left to play. If that didn’t do it, Howard’s next basket put the Dream up nine with under a minute. Nneka scored down low, and Gabby hit a three, but it was too late. Atlanta completed the comeback victory.
Final Box Score
Up Next
A rematch with the Las Vegas Aces (3-2) on Sunday, June 1st at 3:00 PM. It’s also the first game in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup play. Seattle looks to avoid a three-game losing streak and stay ahead of the Aces in the WNBA standings.
Part 2
Part 2 will include additional thoughts, quotes, and discussion from Friday’s game against the Atlanta Dream.
Notes:
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