Loyd's 32 Helps Storm Beat Mercury 97-91

Seattle won for the third time against Phoenix this season.

(Phoenix, Arizona) - The Seattle Storm appear to have the Mercury’s number this season. After defeating Phoenix 97-91, they have picked up their third victory against their western rivals. That was Seattle’s 7th victory on the season. Nearly 50% of all their wins have come against Phoenix this year!

Collectively, the starters played one of their best games of the season. Jewell Loyd led the team with 32 points including making 13-14 FT. But really, this was a team effort. Four out of the five starters scored in double figures. The 5th, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu played just 13 minutes but still had nine points and five rebounds.

Ezi Magbegor had a strong game scoring 19 points on 70% (7-10) field goal shooting. She also had seven rebounds and four assists. The third period is where she did the most damage. She scored 11 of her 19 points in that quarter. That was the most important quarter for the Storm as they outscored the Mercury 27-15. They turned a nine-point halftime deficit into a three-point lead entering the final frame.

“We had a conversation at halftime that (Ezi) needed to be better. This was a response to that in my opinion. Her activity and her aggressiveness, her finishing around the rim. She woke up in a lot of ways. She was super impactful because of the aggressiveness and the way she was playing.” Coach Quinn stated on Ezi’s impact.

Gabby Williams continues to hit her stride. She has now scored in double figures in three of the last four games. The Seattle Storm have now won three out of their last four games. Coincidence? Doubtful. Williams finished with 14 points and did what Gabby Williams does best. Contribute to all facets of the game. She finished with a team-high six assists and added five rebounds, four steals, and two blocked shots.

Seattle has two days to figure out what they want to do with Gabby. If you read my last article, I talked about the WNBA Trade Deadline coming up on August 7th. It has been suggested that Gabby Williams would be a very attractive piece for teams looking to contend for a WNBA title.

The New York Liberty’s most pressing need is a perimeter defender that could help slow down Chelsea Gray or Kelsey Plum in a possible Finals matchup. Would they be willing to part with their first-round pick or rookie Nyara Sabally? Sabally doesn’t get a lot of playing time behind Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Williams is a player that could help them win a championship this year. It’s something to at least think about.

Seattle shot the ball well making 47% (34-72 FG) and 36% (8-22) from beyond the arc. They shot 91% from the free throw line (21-23). More importantly to Coach Quinn, they out-rebounded the Mercury 36-27. Mercedes Russell led the team with eight rebounds. They had 12 offensive rebounds compared to Phoenix’s four. That led to an 18-4 advantage in second-chance points. And while they lost the points in the paint battle, it was still close (52-46).

“We are growing up in a lot of ways. When we keep our turnovers low, when we are defending at a high level and not giving up second-chance points we are able to play in transition and find efficient shots. That’s happening on the basketball floor. Also, what’s happening is we are playing together and we’re playing with confidence. The energy level is different when we’re coming into the huddles. It’s very positive. Their next-play mentality is showing. They are communicating and they are talking things through. I think that shows a lot of growth and maturity.” Quinn stated.

Phoenix Mercury

At times this season, DT has looked like a shell of her former self. I suppose that happens when a pro athlete gets into their 40s. However, Diana Taurasi must have found the fountain of youth. In the past four games, she’s put up 28, 42, 29, and 24 points. Those are some impressive numbers from the WNBA’s All-Time leading scorer. Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to score more than 10,000 points. An achievement she notched on Thursday against the Atlanta Dream.

Brittney Griner returned after stepping away from basketball for a few games to work on her mental health. Griner played very well scoring 22 points on an effective 10-15 FG shooting. She also had six rebounds and four assists.

This game was a showcase of the 2019 WNBA Draft class. Along with Ezi Magbegor (12th overall), Sophie Cunningham (13th), Megan Gustafson (17th), and Brianna Turner (11th) were featured. Cunningham finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Gustafson finished with 13 points on 6-7 FG shooting and four rebounds. Turner added six points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Phoenix made nearly 51% (36-71 FG) of their shots but was less effective from long range (26%). They made eight fewer free throws than Seattle (21-13). The Mercury did move the ball better with 27 assists compared to Seattle’s 18. Their bench also outscored the Storm’s 20-9.

Game Breakdown

Gabby Williams was able to recover her own miss for the quick putback. The Mercury scored six points quickly including four from Cunningham. Jewell Loyd made a hard drive to the rim, finished the layup, and was fouled for the AND1.

Phoenix continued to play well going on an 8-2 run to double Seattle’s score at 14-7. Taurasi and Cunningham each scored again. Megan Gustafson hit a nice midrange jumper and Brianna Turner scored on a beautiful pick-and-roll action. Griner scored on a nice turnaround jumper and then on a screen and slip to the rim. This put the Mercury up 10 points at 20-10.

The Storm responded with an impressive 12-2 run to finish the period. Kia Nurse hit a jumper. Loyd hit a three-pointer. Gabby Williams got a steal near midcourt and raced down the other way for the easy two. Sami Whitcomb knocked down a triple in the final seconds to tie the game 22-22.

DT continued her hot shooting knocking down another three-ball. Jewell made a pair of free throws and Jordan Horston scored on an athletic move through traffic to the rim. The Mercury regained the lead on a Sophie Cunningham three-pointer. Then had another jumper from Griner. Free throws by Cunningham put the Mercury up six points. Seattle countered with a Whitcomb three-pointer and a Magbegor layup.

Megan Gustafson knocked down a shot from beyond the arc. Something she’s added to her game recently. She scored 11 of her 13 points in the second period.

Gabby made a couple more shots. Loyd made a free throw after Phoenix used a take foul to stop a fast break. Seattle retained possession and Kia Nurse connected on a triple to cut the Mercury’s lead down to two.

A very unfortunate incident took place where the Mercury’s Shey Peddy took an elbow to the back of her head from Jordan Horston. The contact was 100% accidental. Horston was playing defense at the top of the arc and as the Mercury passed the ball across the court, Horston turned to defend the left side and as she turned she immediately made contact with Peddy. Peddy remained on the floor for at least five minutes and the medical staff had to use the stretcher to carry her off.

When that took place, the Storm trailed by just two points. A flagrant foul was called against Horston because of contact to the head. The Mercury scored the final seven points of the half to take a nine-point lead (50-41) at halftime.

Phoenix made 54% of their shots in the first half while Seattle connected on 42%. The Mercury nearly doubled the Storm’s assists 15-8. The Storm committed five more turnovers (8-3).

Seattle started the third period on a 9-4 run cutting the Mercury’s lead to four at 54-50. Whitcomb hit another three and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored six straight points all on hustle plays. The Storm’s defense led to transition baskets where Dulcy could capitalize.

After the timeout, Ezi was able to score on a strong drive to the rim. Taurasi countered with another three. Seattle tied the game on a Magbegor midrange jumper. Then took the lead on an AND1 by Loyd who did an excellent job drawing the contact on her jumper against the smaller Moriah Jefferson.

A 22-7 run by the Storm turned a nine-point deficit into a seven-point lead. Seattle stumbled in the final minute of the quarter giving up four points in the final 10 seconds committing careless mistakes. Seattle led 68-65 as the two teams entered the final quarter.

Griner immediately scored deep in the post and was fouled for the AND1 tying the game at 68-68.

Over the next several minutes the two teams battled back and forth swapping the lead on nearly every possession. Loyd made another three-pointer and Griner scored again in the paint. Gabby made a nice dribble pull-up but Taurasi was able to get to the rim on the other side. Jewell then hit a tough jumper as Seattle regained the one-point lead at 80-79 with just over five minutes left to play.

Fankam Mendjiadeu initially mishandled a dump-off pass but recovered, scored, and was fouled. She made the free throw to finish the AND1 play.

Loyd was able to draw another foul for more free throws. Diana Taurasi got open in the corner for another three-ball. Jewell then drove in and scored again. But Griner was able to score an AND1 on the other end to cut Seattle’s lead back down to two.

Jewell was able to bank in a three-pointer to put the Storm up five with a minute to go. Taurasi drove to the rim for two to cut Seattle’s lead down to three.

In what looked like a broken play by Seattle, Sami Whitcomb recovered the loose ball, dribbled out to the three-point line, then realized the shot clock was winding down to zero. She heaved the shot up to the heavens and it miraculously went in. That was the dagger Seattle needed.

After that, DT was able to draw a foul for a pair of free throws but Phoenix was forced to immediately foul with less than 24 seconds left in the game. Whitcomb made both of her free throws to make the final score 97-91.

I spoke with Magbegor after the game about the team’s strong second half.

“I think being more aggressive offensively. Our defense is something that leads to our offense too. I think we did a better job of not being lax in the second half. I think that translated to our offense. We just knew we needed to be better in the second half.” Ezi stated.

“It’s always a great matchup against Phoenix. Obviously, it’s nice to have three wins against them. We don’t take any of the games for granted. I know the last game wasn’t as competitive as this one. We know that Phoenix can turn up, they’ve been playing really well the last few games. DT coming off a big game last game as well. Our mindset stays the same, whenever we play them.” She added.

Additional Analysis

Shey Peddy’s Health Update

After the game, Coach Quinn gave a brief statement for Shey Peddy before addressing any of the media’s questions. I thought it was a very classy thing to do.

“I just want to give my thoughts and prayers to Shey Peddy. She’s an ultimate competitor. You never want to see a player down for that long. Just from us and the organization, I just wanted to make sure that she knows and the organization knows that she is in our thoughts.” Noelle said to begin her post-game press conference.

The Phoenix Mercury Social Media account also released good news late on Saturday night.

“Update: Shey Peddy sustained a concussion in tonight’s game and was transported to the hospital. All tests came back negative and she will be home tonight. Shey is in good spirits and was following the end of the game.”

https://twitter.com/PhoenixMercury/status/1688051226985009152?s=20

They also mentioned that Peddy has full movement of her limbs which is a great sign. While it was a very serious-looking injury it is good to know that overall she is doing well and should be able to recover from this.

I also spoke with Coach Quinn and asked her if she talked to Jordan about the incident. Obviously, it was completely accidental contact but when something like that happens it can shake up both players that were involved so I wanted to make sure Horston was also doing OK.

“Yeah, I did (talk with Jordan). As did our coaching staff. It was very unintentional. Just to have a next-play mentality with it. It wasn’t her fault in any way. The way in which Phoenix organizes their offense. A lot of those screens do happen so just the recognition of it. As a competitor, just keep our minds sharp and focused on the moment. Not to think too far back with that. Keeping her encouraged that Shey was hopefully going to be OK. It wasn’t intentional. Just to keep her focus. She did a good job. She was locked in during that moment for sure.” Noelle told me.

Sami Whitcomb

It really has been such a pleasure watching Sami Whitcomb back in a Seattle Storm uniform. Whitcomb is a joy to watch because she always gives 110% effort. She hustles her ass off and gives you just about everything you’d want from a player.

It’s even better when she’s hitting ridiculous shots and making some of the most difficult things look easy. Her late-game three-pointer was absurd in the best of ways.

https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/1688038169558884352?s=20

https://twitter.com/WNBAStormChaser/status/1688046118800891904?s=20

After the game, I spoke with both Jewell Loyd and Coach Quinn about having Sami back on the team and her incredible shot-making ability.

I asked Jewell her thoughts when Sami knocks down some of these crazy shots.

“They’re not crazy when you practice them. I’ve seen her take those shots all the time in practice. Actually, I told her I knew that three was going in because she practiced that shot going into halftime. I’ve seen her work ethic and that’s what it really comes down to. She’s always in the gym. She’s in there before any of us. She reps it. I’m not surprised by her shot selection or her shot-making. She gives 100% effort all the time and that’s who she’s been since I’ve known her. It’s pretty cool to see her growth and her consistency.” Loyd replied.

“All net. Shooters shoot!” Quinn said with a laugh.

We just needed a little bit of luck to go our way. That was a big shot. She shot it and her reaction was if she meant to do it. That’s Sami. If you remember, she’s always hit big shots throughout her tenure with the Storm. To have her back, it’s another vet who’s been in the system. Who is very confident and gives others confidence. Jewell has a ton of confidence in her which is great. She is who she is. She’s a sniper on the floor. She’s high energy and she brings it every single day. To have her back, we are blessed to have her back because she’s a great pro and a great teammate. She contributes in so many ways.” Coach Quinn added.

Fighters

If one thing has stood out this season in a positive light it’s the fact that the Storm have been fighters. They obviously haven’t won very many games. But rarely do they get down big and just completely give up. It’s really easy for teams with losing records to mail it in especially if they get down double-digits as they did in this game. But you didn’t see that at all.

Once again, the Storm fought back and rallied. Seattle’s second half was filled with great basketball on both ends of the court. They outscored the Mercury 56-41 through the final twenty minutes.

As mentioned above. Ezi scored 11 of her 19 points in the third quarter to start the rally. Then Jewell Loyd finished the Mercury off scoring 17 of her 32 points in the game’s pivotal period.

I spoke with Coach Quinn about Loyd’s maturation this season and being able to take over in these critical moments.

“We talk a lot about the situations (Jewell) has been in her career. This is very different for her to be constantly in the mix with the ball all the time. Making these reads and getting us over the hump. She’s done an amazing job. She’s taking it in stride. She’s confident in herself and also instills confidence in her team. In those moments, she’s understanding and reading, slowing everything down. (Loyd) is coming through in big ways. The maturation for me is, a lot of times within her career sometimes those moments we’d take her out. But I’ll ride with her. She’s been weathering these Storms within the game and I think that’s very big of her.” Quinn answered.

Jewell talked about how the team never gives up even when trailing big.

“That’s who we’ve been. We’ve been fighters! Regardless of the score we want to compete. We wanted to push ourselves. I thought today, Gabby really rallied us through. She brought effort and energy all game. We used her energy to fuel us. We knew teams go on runs. It’s how you respond. We’ve been able to respond really well lately. That’s been our motto is just to compete and that’s what we did today.” Loyd stated.

Coach Quinn also spoke to me about the team’s ability to keep fighting and what she sees in her team.

“A lot of maturity. We are growing up. And a lot of our growing up has been done on the road this year. I feel we’re playing really well on the road. I think the resiliency is there. We had to change up some of our schemes but then we locked into those schemes. We’re holding each other accountable. We’re finding ways to be in games and that’s a sign of growth for us. And now we’re finding ways to win games. I’m super proud of their fight and their effort to push hard. To continue to have high energy and stay connected with one another.” Quinn added.

I know sometimes this season has been frustrating. It’s never fun to watch your team lose a lot of games. But instead of calling for people’s heads when the team isn’t always competing for a championship, I think it’s important to recognize what is happening.

What is happening when the team loses? How are the players reacting? Where is the effort level?

Throughout this season we’ve seen the Storm fight and rally in a lot of their games. More often than not they’ve lost those games. Sometimes, like on Saturday, they come through and pull out the victory. But they are almost always battling. That’s an important factor when evaluating how a coach is doing.

Up Next

The Storm return home for four games. They host the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, August 8th at 12:00PM for “Kids Camp Day”. If you’re attending the game, make note of the early start time on the weekday.

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