Stewart, Loyd lead Seattle past New York 79-71 in OT

Significantly short-handed, Seattle's superstars stepped up big.

(Seattle, WA) - Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd did what they had to do with the team in a dire situation. Mercedes Russell is still out with an injury. On Thursday, a day before the game it was announced that Stephanie Talbot would miss the game due to Covid Health & Safety protocols. Friday, around noon, the team found out that Ezi Magbegor and Sue Bird would also miss the game due to the Health & Safety protocols. Seattle was down to just seven active players and by league rules need eight to avoid a forfeit. They signed Kiana Williams to a contract on Friday and flew her out to Seattle to play that same day.

With nearly 40% of the team unavailable for Friday’s game against the New York Liberty the burden fell to the team’s two superstars to carry the load. Stewie and Jewell came through in a big way scoring a combined 52 points and leading Seattle to a 79-71 victory in overtime. Stewart finished with a game-high 31 points. She also had nine rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a blocked shot. Loyd added 21 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Briann January got the start in place of Sue Bird and scored 11 points. She was the only other Storm player to reach double figures in the game. January connected on three of four shots from beyond the arc including a huge one in OT to help seal the game.

New York actually had the edge in several different statistical categories but the one that stood out the most in favor of Seattle was the Storm forcing the Liberty into 24 turnovers including Seattle having a 13-5 edge in steals. Most importantly, Seattle scored 29 points off those turnovers while only committing 11 turnovers in the game which led to just 12 points for New York.

“It was a hard-fought game. Give credit to both teams. Our team showed a lot of heart tonight. (We) had different lineups, players in different positions, and another gritty win for us where our defense sustained us. We were able to force some turnovers and get some offense from that. I thought everyone gutted it out and showed a lot of heart today. It was great to walk away with a win.” Coach Quinn told the media during her opening remarks after the game.

Seattle also had a major advantage in getting to the foul line. The Storm shot nearly double the number of free throws as the Liberty (27-14). Stewie by herself connected on 15-18 from the charity stripe. The 15 made free throws tied a franchise record with Lauren Jackson.

“(Getting to the foul line) was definitely a focus. Even though New York has some bigs who present mismatches. We were very intentional on getting the ball inside and attacking the paint. A few calls went our way and a few didn’t. When we shoot 27 free throws, it means we’re being aggressive and it aids in us getting some easier buckets.” Coach Quinn stated.

“We wanted to be aggressive. We wanted to attack and put pressure on the rim. Whether that was in a half-court set or in transition. We knew they were going to switch a lot with me and the other posts would be in more of a drop coverage. It kinda gave us free rein to attack and do whatever we wanted.” Stewart added.

Gabby Williams also played a strong role in this game despite only having the four points. She was all over the defensive side of the court. Williams had a career-high six steals in the game and also three blocked shots. She also had nine rebounds, seven on the defensive end. The night rebounds tied both Stewart and Jantel Lavender as the team-high.

I spoke with Jewell about Williams’ performance after the game.

“Man, Gabby, she’s so athletic. She hasn’t even reached her potential. Her ability and our ability to switch a lot of things on defense. Her length … She gets her hands on so many balls. There are rebounds she gets that you don’t even think she’s going to be able to get. That just shows our versatility on defense, we’re very long as a team. It helps a lot, late-game when we’re trying to switch our schemes. Our defense has been pretty solid to start the season.” Loyd told me.

I was also able to get Coach Quinn’s take on the defensive performance of Williams and the team.

“Her activity and her athleticism, her pressure, her aggressiveness, her size all of that matters when you think about the way in which she defends. Her activity is huge. For the last stretch of the game, she’s guarding (6’10”) Han. But the majority of the game she’s on guards. Her versatility is key. When she’s able to get steals defensively, it jump-starts our offense. She’s able to initiate some stuff and get into the flow. She’s a big presence defensively and something we’ve really needed.” Quinn stated.

The New York Liberty

The Liberty had four players score in double figures with Natasha Howard leading the team with 19 points and nine rebounds. Howard also converted on 3-5 three-point field goal attempts. Han Xu was a bright spot for New York as she scored 12 points and had eight rebounds off the bench. Stefanie Dolson and Rebecca Allen each scored 11 points. Allen scored the team’s final five points of regulation to send the game to overtime.

New York, not known for its rebounding ability, out-rebounded Seattle 50-38. It should be no surprise then to hear they outscored Seattle 15-10 on second-chance points. They edged the home team 19-16 in assists and 30-28 on points in the paint.

Game Breakdown

Briann January got the Storm on the board first with a three-pointer on the first possession of the game. Natasha Howard found a mismatch down low with Jewell Loyd guarding her and was able to convert one of her baby hooks. Rebecca Allen (free throws) and Stephanie Dolson scored points for New York to give them a 6-3 lead two minutes into the game.

Both teams struggled a bit with New York committing a lot of fouls and Seattle giving the ball away multiple times.

Howard was very good for New York in the first quarter scoring (insert total points. Stewart kept Seattle in the game by scoring nine of the team’s first 13 points. Stewie was drawing several fouls against the Liberty defenders.

Gabby Williams made some high-quality plays in the first quarter on both ends of the court. She had multiple defensive stops including three steals and two blocks in the opening frame. She also had an offensive rebound where she jumped up between two Liberty players that were taller and took the ball away from both of them. She dribbled the ball out and drained a jumper.

Seattle trailed 8-3 halfway through the first quarter but finished on a 14-6 run to take a 17-14 lead into the second period.

Back-to-back baskets by Jewell Loyd and Jantel Lavender pushed their lead to five early in the second quarter at 21-16. The Storm would go on a 12-4 run to begin the second period to push their lead to 29-18. This forced Coach Sandy Brondello to call timeout and talk things over with her players.

The Liberty had a beautiful play where Howard passed to a cutting Sami Whitcomb. Then Han Xu was curling from the other side and received a dribble handoff to convert an easy hook for the 6’10” Center from China.

Why continue to miss three-pointers when they could just have Han Xu make uncontested layups!? That was the Liberty’s best plan of attack in the second period.

Jantel Lavender scored three quick baskets near the rim to begin the third period. Jewell Loyd then hit a three to extend the Storm’s lead to 16-points as the Liberty were forced to call another timeout with Seattle leading 43-27.

New York responded to the timeout well as they would outscore Seattle 8-2 over the next two minutes. Stephanie Dolson and Sabrina Ionescu each hit shots from beyond the arc. Rebecca Allen added a gliding layup at the rim. Ionesco’s three was the second of the quarter after New York went 0-11 FG from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Liberty used a 27-18 third period to cut the Storm’s once 16-point lead down to just a single point. Natasha Howard hit another three with one second left in the third. Howard’s three was the team’s 7th total in the quarter. They connected on 7-10 from beyond the arc scoring 21 of their 27 points from long distance.

They cooled off a little bit as Seattle held them scoreless through the first four minutes of the fourth. Howard finally scored for New York to cut the lead back to six at 59-53.

Baskets by Ionescu and Natasha Howard cut the Storm’s lead back down to just one at 59-58. The Liberty then took the lead as Crystal Dangerfield (5’5”) grabbed her second offensive rebound of the 4th quarter and drained a mid-range jumper.

Stewart got bailed out when it looked like the defense had stopped her but she got the superstar call and was able to make both free throws to tie the game. On the next play, Gabby Williams got a huge stop down low against Natasha Howard. She appeared to get a tiny bit of the ball which helped force Howard’s layup short. Jewell Loyd then attacked the rim and got fouled. Loyd sank both free throws to give Seattle the lead back at 64-62 with 36 seconds left in the game.

Sabrina Ionescu badly missed a three that would have given the Liberty the lead and Stewart was fouled a few seconds later. Stewart sank both free throws to give the Storm a four-point lead. On New York’s next possession they passed it into Stefanie Dolson who kicked it immediately back to Rebecca Allen who drained a triple to cut the lead to one.

Stewart was fouled but made just one of two free throws. During the Liberty’s next possession they ran another great play that led to Dolson screening off defenders down low to give Allen a wide-open lane for the easy layup to tie the game at 67-67 with around four seconds left.

Gabby Williams drove to the rim and was fouled with about two seconds to play. Unfortunately, Williams missed both free throws. The first bounced on the back rim, on the front rim, looked like it was going to drop in and eventually it rolled out. The second free throw was also close but did not drop. Afterward, both teams fought for the rebound, and time expired sending the game into overtime.

Stewie hit a three to begin OT to put Seattle up 70-67. Han Xu was able to convert two free throws and then Briann January hit another three to put the Storm up four. They would not relinquish the lead.

Over the final two minutes of overtime, all the remaining points from both teams would come at the foul line. And Seattle would have a 6-2 advantage in that regard with Stewie getting the line twice for four shots and Epiphanny Prince also converting a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds.

In the end, Seattle did just enough to win the game 79-71.

Additional Analysis

Covid Concerns

On Thursday, the Storm announced that Stephanie Talbot would be out for Friday’s game against New York. Then about six hours prior to tip-off the team announced that Sue Bird and Ezi Magbegor would also be out due to Health and Safety Protocols.

That is now five separate Seattle Storm players that have come down with a Covid positive test this season and we’re only a few weeks into the season. More surprising is that the league has only had eight players total who’ve missed games due to the Health & Safety protocols and Seattle has had five of them!

I asked Coach Quinn if there’s anything they can do differently/get stricter on things.

“No, we’ve been since the beginning to make sure we’re mindful that this is an issue still. We have a very committed group and professional group. We trust each other. It’s just hitting us right now and it’s unfortunate. I hope that we get through this and that it doesn’t affect us in the middle or towards the end of the year. It’s not anything reckless that’s happening. I think it’s just situational. We just have to double up on our vitamins and strengthen our immune system at this point (she said with a laugh). We’re just not having great luck with it.” Coach answered.

Kiana Williams Signs Hardship Contract

The Storm announced that they had brought back 2021’s second-round draft pick, Kiana Williams, on a hardship contract due to the number of players out with Covid.

Williams played 10 games with the Storm last season before being cut. She participated in the Phoenix Mercury’s training camp and played well in the preseason but did not make their final roster.

The WNBA does not allow teams to play with less than eight players so the Storm had to contact Kiana around 11:00 AM the day of the game and fly her out to Seattle to sign her hardship contract.

It’s a credit to Williams who was willing to drop everything she had going on with her personal life. Williams played just four minutes off the bench and earned two assists.

Breanna Stewart touched on that after the game.

“We really have been trying to navigate the health and safety protocols. We’ve been trying to be safe, trying to do the right thing and test. Especially, to find out all of this on game day and still be told (by the league) we’re going to continue to play the game and we just need to find a hardship player. Even though Seattle is the farthest city in the country for someone to get to. That’s a credit to Kiana, for dropping everything this morning and getting on a plane. Because she wasn’t coming until this morning. It’s incredibly difficult and you have to tip your hat to Ki(ana) and Raina when she came. Kaela Davis … we’re just trying to get as many hardships as we can at this point. But a little bit of help and guidance from the WNBA would be nice.” Stewart said.

I questioned further on the subject and whether or not Coach Quinn has talked to them about being stricter on what they’re allowed to do in order to limit more exposure to the players.

“I’M NOT EVEN DOING ANYTHING” Stewie exclaimed with frustration.

Jewell chimed in.

“We’re not doing anything. If anyone knows us in Seattle, we’re not (being reckless). That’s the crazy thing with Covid.” Loyd stated.

“What are we supposed to do? We travel. We fly commercial, that’s one thing. All of these people don’t wear masks. You can’t tell me I can’t go to dinner or whatever. As long as I’m staying safe in what I’m doing and wearing masks when I can. That’s all I can do. Right now our team is just going through it. But you know what? Better now than later.” Stewart reiterated.

“It’s better for us to go through this adversity early on but I think at the same time we haven’t had a full roster since the start of the season. It’s hard to win when you don’t have everyone playing. Or we can’t have a certain game plan every night. But that just goes to show how tough this team is. That on the fly we can adapt and get things done. We think this will help us later on because, jeez, we’ve gone through a lot in the first month or so. It’ll make us more resilient.” Loyd added.

When the media questioned Stewart on what she meant by stating they needed more help and guidance from the WNBA she had this to say.

“Having a better answer than “get a hardship player” after finding out we’d be without three of our players this morning at 11:00 AM for a 7:00 PM game. I know the schedule is really tight. We’re not saying we can’t play New York because obviously, we did tonight. This is the second time this has happened on a game day and it’s a little frustrating.” Stewart elaborated.

Jewell offered some suggestions on how to improve things as well.

“If we had a G-League, it would help. If we had some practice players in our system where we could pool from that. If we had some practice players and they’re with us, then with hardship, now they’ve been with us, they know our systems, and they’re actually in market, they’re not traveling. It’s crazy, then they have to play a game. It’s ridiculous. If we actually had that, it just goes back to having more of a development league in the WNBA.” Loyd gave her ideas on how to resolve this issue, especially with Covid still rampant.

Former Storm Players Return to Seattle

It truly is no wonder the 2018 and 2020 Seattle Storm were so dominant during their championship runs. You saw what Stewie and Jewell did in this game scoring the 52 total points. They were clearly Seattle’s two best players on the court. And you could make the argument that Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb were the Liberty’s two best players on the court on Friday. All four of those players were together during Seattle’s recent title runs.

Howard finished the game with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Whitcomb came very close to a triple-double showing off her versatility with eight points, eight rebounds, and a game-high eight assists.

I spoke to Breanna Stewart and Coach Quinn about seeing Howard and Whitcomb return to Seattle.

“We got to talk to them pre-game, not as much post-game. You know, we miss them. The memories we had and as a team, what we did together is something we’ll never forget. Obviously, we wish them the best in New York. We just know they’ll have continued success.” Stewart shared.

Quinn’s face lit up when I asked about her former teammates.

“It’s amazing that the crowd gave them the cheers that they did. Sami didn’t shoot the ball well against Minnesota and I was scared because I know how she can catch fire really quickly. She hit a couple and I know that’s what she does. Aside from being a tough competitor, Sami was a big part of our championship team and she’s a friend. I am just proud of her growth and how important she is to her team. Her journey was not cookie-cutter.” Quinn stated.

“And then with Natasha, I saw her in Chapel. There’s always love. People who I grinded with and went to war with. My affinity and respect for them will never change. I’m always rooting for them and super proud of them in their journey. Obviously, we want to beat them when we play them. Hopefully, Sami stays a little cold this weekend, but when she’s playing other teams I love that she’s excelling and doing her thing. Same with ‘Tash. ‘Tash is in great rhythm right now. I’m glad she fouled out today. Once you’re a Storm member, you’re always part of that family and that will never change.” she added.

Jersey Count

The Storm played in their black “Rebel” jerseys on Friday night and picked up their third victory in a row. The “Rebel” uniform is the first jersey combo to win multiple games during the 2022 season.

Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 2-1
Explorer: 1-1
Heroine: 1-1
Overall Record: 4-3

Up Next

These same two teams face each other again on Sunday, May 29th at 3:00 PM. The big question will be which Storm players will be available? Will any players return from Covid Health & Safety protocols? Will any additional players have to be quarantined? And once the game takes place, which team can make the better adjustments?

Notes: Thanks for everyone’s support, it’s greatly appreciated! Please refer all your friends who love the WNBA and enjoy in-depth coverage of the Storm and the league overall.

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Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography Team and sometimes my own.