Balanced scoring from Seattle enough to clip the Dallas Wings 83-74

Five Storm players reach double-digit scoring on Tuesday.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm rallied in the 2nd half to defeat the Dallas Wings 83-74 on Tuesday afternoon on Kid’s Camp Day at Climate Pledge Arena. An impressive 27-17 third quarter swung the momentum in Seattle’s favor and they finished the game strong.

Five Storm players scored in double figures as the team was led by Breanna Stewart’s 19 points and seven rebounds. Stephanie Talbot had an incredible game (more on that later) shooting 6-8 FG to add 14 points off the bench. Both Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor scored 13 points and Magbegor nearly had her third double-double in a row as she pulled down eight rebounds. Lastly, Tina Charles also was impressive off the bench with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds to provide more balanced scoring.

“We came out with some great energy despite it being early. I thought we did a very good job on Mabrey and Arike, I thought we were locked in on those schemes. We had great contributions all across the board. All in all, I thought it was a good effort and a very good after-All-Star break game despite it being early.” Coach Noelle Quinn said in her opening statement after the game.

“We took 17 threes and we were efficient in those threes. We were efficient on the floor. We got to the free throw line 18 times. There’s balance in what we were doing today and that’s important as well. Anytime we can get five in double figures, score the ball, and marry that with our defense. That makes for a very good night.” She added.

With a strong 2nd half performance Seattle shot the ball better connecting on 48% (30-63 FG) and 41% (7-17 FG) from beyond the three-point arc. Defensively, they were able to hold Dallas to 38% (27-72) from the floor and just 30% (7-23) from deep. The Storm were just a little bit better in several categories including a 22-17 advantage in assists, 36-32 edge with points in the paint, 11-8 in favor of Seattle with fast-break points, and a 6-4 lead in blocked shots.

The team improved to 5-1 since the addition of Tina Charles. The move has certainly made a positive impact and Coach Quinn talked about that after the game.

“This feels like a new season because Tina is here. Just going through that with her. Getting the times when we can practice, the adjustments that happen in a game, building and growing with her in the mix. It’s a new challenge but it’s positive because we’re trending in the right way… When you throw Tina in the mix you have to honor what she does. She can shoot from the outside and obviously, she’s a load to handle on the block. Our spacing changes. Now Stewie’s looks become a little cleaner. Our ball movement and spacing are a little bit different. Maybe our slashers can get to the rim a little easier. It just brings a different dynamic that another unit may not have. Our players know what she can do, when we get her in isolation situations, everybody just wants her to go to work. Just learning her and where she wants the ball and also her learning our defensive systems; making sure she knows what we want to do on that side of the ball as well.” Coach Quinn explained.

The Dallas Wings

Dallas was led by Teaira McCowan who came off the bench and played a major factor in keeping the Wings competitive. McCowan tallied 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds including six on the offensive glass. I’m still not entirely clear on why Indiana traded away McCowan. Of all their recent draft picks she was one of their better players. The only thing I can think of is that the Fever knew she was going to be a restricted free agent and maybe weren’t confident they wanted to re-sign her to a new deal.

Either way, McCowan has really started to come on strong for Dallas. Over their past nine games, she’s had double-doubles with points and rebounds in four of them. She’s scored in double figures in six of those games. She is a very difficult matchup for just about anyone in this league once she gets her position down low. Stewie and Coach Quinn talked about that after the game.

“She’s a difficult matchup honestly. Sometimes, you might just live with her getting the twos and make sure we take away their threes. Looking at the film, the last game they played against Connecticut. Brionna Jones, to me, is very strong and she struggled with McCowan. So you just understand how strong she is, how big and powerful she is, a lot of times you just hope she misses because she’s right underneath the basket. The other aspect is the offensive rebounds because she can clean up those boards as well. As long as the others aren’t getting 20 and 30 and open looks from the three, you kinda have to live with what McCowan gives.” Quinn stated.

“She’s tough. She uses her body really well and is able to finish. I think even her development from last year to this year, as she can finish better over both shoulders. Really, when you’re guarding her, you’re trying to not let her get it (the ball) and if she does the double has to come quick. Knowing that she’s really difficult for us to guard, putting her in a lot of actions and ball screens, making her have to work on both ends.” Stewart added.

Arike Ogunbowale was the team’s next leading scorer with 12 points but she wasn’t efficient at all. She shot just 4-18 FG including an abysmal 1-8 FG from three-point range. She did gather six rebounds for her squad.

Both Tyasha Harris and Satou Sabally scored 10 points in the game. Harris knocked down some key triples in the first half but was limited to just one point after the break. Sabally also went down with an injury during the game which was concerning as the last time she played in Seattle she had a horrible knee injury that kept her out of several games. Fortunately, this time she was able to return to the court after getting it treated.

The Wings narrowly out-rebounded the Storm 35-34. They were also active defensively getting 10 steals compared to just six for Seattle. Dallas also forced the Storm into 15 turnovers.

Game Breakdown

Seattle got off to a poor start turning the ball over to Marina Mabrey who cashed in on a mid-range jumper and then Gabby Williams badly missed her jumper on the other end. While Isabelle Harrison converted a shot down low in the low post.

They got back on track with Stewie making the team’s first basket. Gabby Williams was able to get an offensive rebound and putback layup. Unfortunately, she appeared to hurt herself on the play as she immediately took a foul on purpose to sub herself out and she went straight to the locker room. Fortunately, she would return.

After trailing 6-2 the Storm went on a 10-0 run to take a 12-6 lead. During that run, both Jewell Loyd and Stephanie Talbot hit shots from beyond the arc. Marina Mabrey buried a three in Sue’s face, that ended Seattle’s run, and then put the three-finger sign up immediately. You have to admire the moxie of Mabrey.

Tina Charles checked into the game and hit a three immediately which put a huge smile on Coach Quinn’s face. Charles followed that up with a nice hook shot in the paint.

Harrison and McCowan were both able to score points deep in the paint and then Ty Harris drained a triple cutting the Storm’s lead to just two at 21-19.

Ezi was able to pick off a pass and went coast-to-coast for the easy two. She then jumped high in the air to steal another pass on the very next possession. Seattle led 25-19 after the first period of play.

Dallas started the 2nd period on a 9-2 run. Teaira McCowan played a large factor in the run impacting both ends of the court; she scored six of the team’s nine points and had an empathic block.

Arike Ogunbowale snatched a ball intended for Bird and raced down the floor for another two points. Stephanie Talbot checked in and immediately buried a three-pointer but Ogunbowale got into the lane for a nice floater putting Dallas back up 36-32.

Ty Harris hit another three to put the Wings up five points. Stewie tried to answer but missed. However, Talbot was able to get the offensive rebound and kick it out to Bird who was able to knock down the long-range shot.

At the end of the first half, the Wings were up on the Storm 41-39. Dallas shot the ball better connecting on 17-37 FG (46%) and an impressive 46% (5-11) from three-point range while holding the Storm to 14-34 FG (41%). Both teams were sloppy with the basketball with Seattle committing nine turnovers and Dallas eight.

Teaira McCowan led all scorers with 10 points off the bench. Ty Harris was their second-leading scorer with nine points. Tina Charles led the Storm with nine points and Jewell Loyd had seven.

The Storm began the third quarter on a 10-2 run before Kayla Thorton connected on a jumper near the foul line. Stewart was responsible for seven of those points and Bird hit another triple.

Veronica Burton buried a corner three on another display of nice passing around the perimeter by the Wings.

Magbegor had a beautiful cut to the rim where she was finished and was fouled for the three-point play. Satou Sabally responded back with her own AND1 play on the other end. At the end of the period, Jewell was able to drive and was fouled. She calmly sank both free throws.

The Storm outscored the Wings 27-17 in the third period and took a 66-58 lead into the final quarter.

I talked to Coach Quinn and Breanna Stewart after the game about the adjustments in the locker room at halftime

“I don’t think there was too much of a message, we knew it was a one-possession game going into halftime. Having our All-Star break be so short, a quick turnaround with the 12 O’Clock game. We’re just happy with the way we continue to compete. We knew we had another level we could get to, just fighting through and getting to that.” Stewart said.

“We were being aggressive. The key thing about (the 2nd) quarter, was the players who were taking and making shots were not Mabrey and not Arike. So that’s part of the game plan to get the ball out of those players’ hands. The fact that Burton hit a couple, Ty hit a couple of open threes. That fell into the game plan but they were hitting their shots so at halftime we adjusted and took off those reads. We played just base defense. We got into bodies more. We continued to move the ball. Also, in the (2nd) quarter we didn’t take great shots during that stretch. There was no panic at halftime. Let’s just continue to lock into our schemes and adjust as the game brought other players some scoring and I thought we did a good job of that.” Quinn told me.

McCowan was able to tip the offensive rebound to herself and put it back. Ezi was able to cut down the right lane before McCowan could rotate over on defense as Magbegor scored the layup. Tina Charles checked back in and hit a jumper to put the Storm up 11 at 71-60.

Seattle’s reserves played well enough that it allowed the team to rest the starters for longer than they’d been able to earlier in the season. We saw moments a month ago where the starters would build a 10+ point lead but the opposing team would erase that deficit within two minutes forcing the starters back on the court after very little rest.

Having a stronger bench now with the addition of Charles is really important to the success of this team. I talked with Stewie after the game about how much that helps when the reserves can maintain or even extend their lead.

“I think we’re getting into a really good rhythm. Steph talked about it a little bit. Just the confidence that we’re having one through eleven - whoever’s in the game, knows they’re going to contribute, make a difference, and battle. That’s really it. We’re not trying to let anybody get anything easy on them and if we get open looks we’ve got to take them.” Stewart stated.

Dallas was able to pick up three points from back-to-back fouls on Talbot. Steph was able to get them back by scoring multiple points in the low post and taking advantage of the smaller Ogunbowale.

Loyd found Stewie on the fast break for the easy two. On the very next possession, they ran pick and roll, this time with Loyd being rewarded with the pass near the rim where she finished for two more points. The latter resulted in Seattle taking their largest lead of the game up by 12 points (81-69).

In the final two minutes, Teaira McCowan made two of four free throws and Arike knocked down a three-ball but they were never able to get any close than down eight. Stewie was able to draw a foul and made both of her foul shots to help put the game away in the final 35 seconds.

Dallas didn’t bother to foul with 26 seconds left and trailing by nine and they allowed Seattle to run out the clock. At the final buzzer, the Storm had won the game 83-74.

Additional Analysis

Stephanie Talbot Two-Way Player

I feel I may be a little more bullish on Steph Talbot than some but I believe she is a really talented player that can have a noticeable impact on the team. A lot of that comes from her ability to be a two-way player on both ends of the court. In 2020, Talbot won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Awards for the WNBL (Australia’s top professional league).

When she is confident in her offense and hitting her shots she becomes an extremely valuable piece for the Storm. And we’ve seen that happen more and more lately. In the past six games, Talbot has reached double figures in three of those games, and in a fourth, she had nine points. Those extra points are huge because they can either take some pressure off of Stewie and Jewell or it just adds to their offensive firepower which often results in the Storm winning by a comfortable margin.

I haven’t specifically asked her this, but I have to wonder how much catching COVID at the beginning of the season impacted her. She really struggled in a lot of games after coming back from that and didn’t look to be anywhere near her best self. But we’re starting to see that more and more. Her 15 points in a double-digit victory over Las Vegas played a huge role in that win for Seattle. Just as her 14 points on Tuesday against Dallas were critical to the Storm’s success.

The fact Talbot was able to body Arike consistently on the defensive side of the ball; constantly made Ogunbowale uncomfortable and out of rhythm, resulting in her shooting just 22% from the field. Not only that, but Talbot used her size to abuse the “mouse in the house” inside the paint where she was able to easily score past the smaller player. It was clear as the beautiful sunny day in Seattle that Talbot was having a huge impact on Tuesday’s game.

I spoke with both Coach Quinn and Steph about that after the game was over.

“We know that Arike is a prolific scorer in this league and she can get hot. A lot of her points come from isolation. But what we do know, at the other end of the floor the defense maybe she doesn’t want to pay a lot of attention to that so we can also attack her there. From jump, Arike is used to us trapping her but we weren’t really trapping her. She was kind of in pitch game or in other actions that didn’t allow us to hit her a little bit. Maybe that threw off some type of rhythm. Aside from that, I thought Steph did a good job of playing into her space, not allowing her to catch the ball easily. Same with Gabby, who was on her as well. There weren’t times where she was loose and open. I thought we did a good job of contesting her and making it tough for her.” Coach Quinn said of Talbot’s defense on Arike.

Talbot gave her input on the matchup.

“She’s tough, she’s crafty with the ball and she’s fast. It just helped having the team behind me because I could put pressure on her and knowing that they had my back. And they would help me if I needed it. Down on the other end, she was guarding me. She’s a lot smaller so we tried to utilize that and get inside.” Talbot answered.

The Shorter Mid-Season Break

We all know last season didn’t end the way Storm fans (and the team) would have hoped for. And while it ultimately wouldn’t have mattered due to Stewie suffering another Achilles injury. The long Olympic layoff had a negative impact on the Storm. Prior to the Olympics, Seattle was a league-best 16-5. After Tokyo, they finished 5-6 or 5-7 including their single-elimination playoff loss to Phoenix.

Seattle’s Big 3 played a vital role in leading Team USA to the Gold Medal with Breanna Stewart playing by far the most minutes of any player. Sue Bird, despite her age, played either the second or third-most minutes of anyone on the Olympic roster. And even Jewell Loyd, who came off the bench, played some of the most minutes for any of the reserves.

They were worn down and just never looked the same after the Olympics. And because of that, I wanted to talk with the team. To gather their input and if they felt having a shorter break with All-Star weekend this season would actually be more beneficial for the team down the stretch in 2022.

“I would have preferred a night game, but to your point, to continue the momentum it’s necessary. Because it happened last year, up to the Olympic break we were playing good basketball and then we had that break. From the experience from last year, it’s more beneficial to get back in it. Now we have a few days off with some practices. I think that helps, even more, now we can just rep the things we need to rep. Obviously, with Tina, catch her up on a lot of other things. I think we’re better when we practice. I love that we’re back to it and I love that it’s shorter, give or take a couple of hours. For this team specifically, I think it’s a positive.” Coach Quinn replied.

“I think the All-Star break was perfect for the days that we did get off. We needed a little bit of a reset. Everyone needed to take some time/a moment away from basketball and from the Storm. To have that and then be able to come back and be ready to go and know exactly what we’re trying to do, it’s perfect. It’s hard because an Olympic year has a season of its own. It definitely doesn’t even compare to just an All-Star break.” Stewart added.

Jersey Count

The Storm wore their “Heroine” white and green jerseys again on Tuesday afternoon picking up another win. They improve to 9-3 on the season while wearing this combination. Overall, the team improved to 16-8 on the season and remains in third place overall behind the Chicago Sky (17-6) and the Las Vegas Aces (16-7). Seattle also remains slightly ahead of the 4th place Connecticut Sun (14-8).

Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 6-2
Explorer: 1-3
Heroine: 9-3
Overall Record: 16-8

Up Next

Seattle gets a nice little break where they can focus on practice to improve the team. They return to Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday, July 17th at 3:00 PM to face the Indiana Fever before heading back on the road the following week.

Notes:
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