Inexcusable Loss, Storm Fall to Sun 93-83

Seattle's Jekyll and Hyde act continues.

Despite the early 8:00 AM (Seattle time) start, the Storm came out red-hot. They were up 27-13 toward the end of the first period. Instead of putting the game away early, they allowed the Sun to hang around. The longer Connecticut kept the game close, the more confidence they built. They outscored the Storm 52-36 in the 2nd half, including 27-9 over the final 10 minutes. It was a fantastic game by the Sun, and a disappointing loss for the Storm.

The Storm had all five starters score in double figures. Skylar Diggins led the way with 23 points and seven assists. Gabby Williams added 21 points and five rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. However, she had a tough shooting day (5-15 FG). Ezi Magbegor’s 13 points and Erica Wheeler’s 10 points rounded out the group.

While it’s easy to blame the 8:00 AM start, that argument would hold more merit if the Storm didn’t have their best quarter in the opening frame. They led for most of the contest but struggled to execute down the stretch when the game tightened. It was another confounding loss for Seattle in a season that has seen too many of them.

Connecticut Sun

Tina Charles hit the way-back machine and put forth an unstoppable performance. Charles finished with 29 points on 11-22 FG and 11 rebounds. She had her full bag of moves going with jump hooks, midrange jumpers, drawing fouls, and more.

Jacy Sheldon added 16 points and knocked down 4-6 field goals from beyond the arc. Bria Hartley scored 15 points. Rookie Saniya Rivers had a great game with 11 points and a team-high seven assists. Rivers played a large role in swinging the momentum in Connecticut’s favor. Her defense was also excellent.

Connecticut outshot Seattle 49% (32-65 FG) to 45% (31-69 FG). They made 21-22 FT (96%). The Sun out-rebounded the Storm 38-31. Their bench outscored Seattle’s reserves 14-4.

Game Breakdown

The Storm exploded out of the gate with a 17-6 run over the first five minutes of the game. Ezi Magbegor and Skylar Diggins scored most of the points early on. Magbegor was more aggressive, looking for her shot. Diggins got to the rim, knocked down a pull-up jumper, and then knocked down a three and was fouled for the four-point play.

Connecticut rallied toward the end of the first quarter. With Seattle leading 24-10, the Sun finished the first period on an 8-3 run. All eight points came from Bria Hartley. She knocked down a three-pointer, then got to the free throw line for two, and then hit another triple.

Seattle led 27-18 at the end of the first period. Both Diggins and Magbegor scored eight points. Hartley led the Sun with eight points, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa added six more.

The momentum for the Sun carried over into the next period. Connecticut went on a 16-4 run between the end of the first and the early minutes of the second quarter. Aneesah Morrow was fouled and made a pair of free throws. Nelson-Ododa also made a pair from the foul line. Hartley made another three-ball to cut Seattle’s 14-point lead down to two at 31-29.

Nneka Ogwumike and Tina Charles swapped a pair of baskets on each end. Hartley hit a pull-up. Gabby Williams was fouled on a layup for an AND1. Sheldon and Charles each scored at the foul line. Alysha Clark got post position down low against a guard, made her shot, and was fouled. Seattle led 49-41 at the midway point.

Gabby Williams continued her hot start with some great hustle and drives to the rim, scoring the first four points of the second half. Connecticut responded with six quick points. Jacy Sheldon knocked down a three, and Saniya Rivers was fouled on a layup for the AND1. After two free throws from Erica Wheeler, Rivers hit a triple. Saniya then scored down the baseline as Seattle’s defense got lost on the play.

Skylar hit a pull-up jumper. Charles grabbed her own rebound and finished with a putback layup. River then got another AND1 to tie the game at 57-57. Wheeler hit a three-pointer after Magbegor snagged an offensive rebound for Seattle. Skylar made a midrange jumper. Sheldon countered with a triple. The Storm answered right back with a Gabby Williams three-ball.

Connecticut continued to battle hard against Seattle. Tina Charles did most of the damage late, scoring eight points in the third quarter. Connecticut trailed by four and should have had the final shot of the quarter. Instead, they rushed it, Seattle got out in transition, and Skylar scored and was fouled. Nelson-Ododa complained to the ref and picked up a technical foul. Diggins made both free throws to put the Storm ahead by eight points at the end of the third, 74-66.

After the Sun seemed to make a huge mistake to end the third, it felt like the Storm would cruise to another victory over the final 10 minutes. It’s possible the players thought the same, because the fourth quarter was a poor effort by Seattle.

The Sun began the fourth quarter on a 4-0 run with both baskets coming from Leila Lacan. After Tina Charles and Gabby Williams swapped baskets, Jacy Sheldon knocked down another three-pointer. Sheldon made another shot. Then Tina Charles gave Connecticut their first lead of the game at 79-77.

Connecticut would not relent after that. They finished the game on a 14-6 run. Seattle looked flustered, out of sorts, and couldn’t get anything going on offense. The Sun outscored the Storm 27-9. The Sun earned their third win of the season, 93-83.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Storm (12-8) return home for four games in a row in Seattle. The first is an immediate rematch with the Connecticut Sun (3-16) on Friday, July 11th. Seattle will look to get back in the win column.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts and discussion from Wednesday’s game against the Connecticut Sun. It’ll be sent exclusively to paid subscribers tomorrow morning.

Notes:
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