Poor 4th Dooms Seattle, Mystics Beat Storm 74-69

The Mystics outscored the Storm 27-14 in the 4th quarter.

(Seattle, WA) - Poor starts and even worse endings have haunted the Seattle Storm (13-9) as of late. Two games ago, the Storm surprisingly lost to the worst team in the WNBA after the Connecticut Sun (3-18) outscored them 27-9 in the 4th quarter. In a rematch with Connecticut on Friday, Seattle had concrete in their shoes and only mustered 10 points in the opening quarter. Fortunately, they were able to overcome their slow start on Friday to win that game. On Sunday afternoon against the Washington Mystics (11-10), the Storm had a poor start AND a terrible finish. Seattle was outscored 16-10 in the first period and 27-14 in the fourth quarter. It resulted in Seattle’s second loss in the past three games as the Washington Mystics defeated the Storm 74-69.

Seattle still had four players score in double figures, but some of their top players struggled in this game. Skylar Diggins finished with 10 points on 4-14 FG shooting. Gabby Williams was limited to six points and made just 2-9 FG. Even Nneka Ogwumike, who is normally one of the most efficient players in the entire WNBA, shot 33% (5-15 FG). She finished with 16 points and six rebounds.

The Storm’s best player was Ezi Magbegor. Magbegor finished with a team-high and season-high 19 points on 54% field goal shooting. She also had a team-high seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. It was Magbegor’s fourth consecutive game scoring in double figures.

I asked Coach Noelle Quinn after the game what difference she’s seen in Ezi recently, and she mentioned that she is finally healthy. Quinn wouldn’t elaborate on what was bothering Magbegor earlier in the season.

Seattle’s other standout was the newly acquired Tiffany Mitchell. For a second time in as many games, Mitchell played over 20 minutes off the bench for the Storm. She scored a season-high 12 points on 5-7 FG. Mitchell has been a big boost for the Storm off the bench since joining the team earlier this week.

The home team lost almost every statistical category in this game, which I’ll go into more detail about under the Mystics’ section.

Washington Mystics

The Mystics had three players with double-digit scoring, led by Brittney Sykes’ 19 points. Her final four points sealed the victory for D.C. Outside of Sykes, the team was led by its two All-Star rookies. Sonia Citron finished with 17 points. She was a perfect 6-6 on her free throw attempts and scored seven of her 17 points in the crucial 4th quarter. Rookie Kiki Iriafen was the only player in the game with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. She likely would have put up more numbers, but she got into some foul trouble and was forced to sit at times.

Washington outshot the Storm 44% (28-63 FG) to 36% (25-69 FG). They out-rebounded Seattle 36-29. They had more assists (19-13) and more free throw attempts (22 to 14). D.C.’s defense also forced Seattle into 17 turnovers and scored 17 points off Seattle’s miscues. That stood out in this game as the Storm have been pretty good about protecting the ball this season.

The Mystics also held small advantages in fast break points (10-6) and second-chance points (12-11). However, they had a significant edge in points in the paint (48-30). Their bench also outscored Seattle’s reserves 16-12. They pretty much won every stat in the box score outside of three-point shooting.

Game Breakdown

Nneka Ogwumike knocked down a three-pointer to score the game’s first basket. Sonia Citron got the Mystics on the board after a couple of empty possessions by both teams. The Mystics' height and length on defense caused Seattle problems early on. The Storm started the game 1-9 FG, with a couple of those shots being airballs.

Nneka Ogwumike was able to connect on her second three-ball of the first period, but the Mystics responded with three consecutive baskets by Kiki Iriafen. That put D.C. ahead by six at 12-6.

For a second straight game, the Storm’s offense couldn’t get going to begin the first quarter. After scoring just 10 points against Connecticut on Friday, they were held to 10 points again against the Mystics. Seattle shot 3-18 FG (16.7%) in the opening frame. The Mystics led 16-10 at the end of the first.

Ezi Magbegor collected an offensive rebound and fed Erica Wheeler, to knocked down a three-pointer. After a Brittney Sykes basket, Magbegor made back-to-back baskets. After another strong drive by Sykes, Magbegor knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game up at 20-20.

Gabby Williams and Sonia Citron swapped baskets to keep the game tied. Tiffany Mitchell made a nice little turnaround inside the paint. Nneka Ogwumike made a nice tough drive against Shakira Austin. Citron drew a foul and made both free throws. Stefanie Dolson tied the game back up with a short layup right off the jump ball.

Magbegor made a pair of free throws. But Iriafen got to the rim. And then Aaliyah Edwards finished the first half with an AND1. At the end of the first half, the Mystics led 31-28. The Mystics ended the first half on a 9-2 run.

D.C. out-rebounded Seattle 22-15 in the first half. They outshot them 39% (13-33 FG) to 30% (10-33 FG). The Mystics also had a significant advantage in points in the paint (26-12).

Nneka Ogwumike scored to open up the second half, but Stefanie Dolson countered with a three-pointer. Wheeler knocked down a triple. Sykes got to the free throw line for two. Skylar made back-to-back baskets to give Seattle a one-point lead.

Both teams battled back and forth. Seattle pushed their lead to 10 points with an 11-0 run. That was capped off by a Tiffany Mitchell three-pointer and Gabby Williams’ drive to the rim in transition. Aaliyah Edwards ended the run with a layup through contact for the AND1.

Magbegor got to the rim. Mitchell hit another three-pointer. Shakira Austin scored from an offensive rebound. Sug Sutton got to the rim for two right before the end of the third. Seattle outscored D.C. 27-16 in the period and led 55-47.

After the Storm went up by 10 points, the Mystics quickly went on a 6-0 run with two baskets from Brittney Sykes and a power move by Kiki Iriafen. Coach Noelle Quinn called a timeout with her team losing focus on the defensive end.

After a Magbegor score, Jade Melbourne knocked down a three-pointer to cut Seattle’s lead down to three at 59-56. Ogwumike was fouled on the next possession and made both free throws. Shakira Austin split two free throws. After Ogwumike missed, the Mystics were able to find Citron in transition for a corner three. D.C. then forced Seattle into a shot clock violation, and Citron made a beautiful cut and scored at the rim as the Mystics regained the lead 62-61. Washington used a 9-2 run to retake the lead.

Ogwumike made two free throws, but the Mystics responded with a Shakira Austin score down low, a steal, and a transition layup for Brittney Sykes. Seattle got baskets from Mitchell and Diggins, but Washington responded with baskets from Citron and Austin. Washington led 70-67 with 1:10 left.

Seattle failed to score on their next possession, but the Mystics turned the ball over during a two-on-one fast break. That allowed the Storm to convert on the next possession as Nneka Ogwumike scored at the rim to make it a one-point game. Unfortunately, Seattle wasn’t able to get the stop it needed. Brittney Sykes milked the clock, got into a pick-and-roll with Kiki Iriafen, and raced to the rim for two.

With Seattle trailing by three, Skylar Diggins stepped out of bounds on the sideline before they could get a shot up. With less than 24 seconds left in the game, the Storm were forced to play the foul game. Sykes was fouled and made both free throws.

Seattle turned the ball over one more time for good measure. With just a few seconds left, the Storm conceded and allowed the Mystics to dribble out the clock. As the final buzzer sounded, Washington had won the game 74-69.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Storm (13-9) host the Golden State Valkyries (10-10) on Wednesday, July 16th at 12:00 PM. It’s Kids Day; be prepared for loud noises if you’re attending in person. The Valkyries have won the first two meetings against Seattle this year.

Part 2

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

Notes:
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