Stewart helps Storm survive 89-88 over the Wings
Breanna Stewart's five points in the final 40 seconds is enough to give Seattle the victory!
(Arlington, Texas) - What an exciting game that turned out to be! In a game, Seattle led most of the way the Dallas Wings nearly rallied to beat the Storm in the 4th quarter. However, the heroics of Breanna Stewart were enough to seal the victory. Stewie hit a pair of free throws with less than seven seconds left in the game and then Arike missed a shot at the buzzer.
This game was a stark contrast from Seattle’s first game against Dallas back on Friday, June 3rd where the Storm lost 68-51 in their worst offensive performance of the Breanna Stewart era! Seattle won this game in Dallas 89-88 in one of the most thrilling games of the season!
“It was a gutsy win on the road against a team that gives us fits with very dynamic players. I thought our group was resilient and poised in possessions that came down the stretch. Overall, 28 assists on 37 makes is great. We have to take care of the ball a little bit more. But (we had) key possessions, key stops on both sides of the ball. We showed a lot of growth and I’m hoping we continue to build this momentum on the road,” Coach Quinn said during her opening statement to the media.
Stewart had 27 points in that game and was even better on Friday night. She finished with a season-high 32 points on a very efficient 12-22 FG shooting performance. She also had a game-high 11 rebounds.
Her partner in crime, Jewell Loyd, also had a strong game with 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Loyd also shot above 50% from the floor connecting on 7-12 of her field goals.
In what is becoming more and more commonplace, Ezi Magbegor was the team’s third-leading scorer with 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots. Magbegor continues to shine in her more prominent starting role. She is starting to flash a lot of similar signs the team had with Natasha Howard during her three-year tenure in Seattle. Magbegor gets a lot of her baskets just from her speed and athleticism. Large defenders aren’t able to keep up with her so she’s often cutting to the rim for easier shots. She has even shown the ability to just dribble-drive past slower post players. The more she plays the more confident she will get.
I spoke with Coach Quinn after the game about their performances.
“There’s something about this building that Stewie loves. We knew from warmups that she was going to come out on fire. Jewell had a tough defensive assignment today putting her on Arike. But she came and hit a clutch three. She was very efficient in her shot attempts and her looks. Ezi has been so steady for us. Their (Dallas’) rebounding, Awak, Harrison, their bigs are tall, lengthy, and athletic. (Ezi’s) going up and battling with them. We looked at the film, as a unit we weren’t boxing out. We were attentive to boxing out today and getting those rebounds. Those three, they’re rounding into shape. When they’re on the floor, we’re better. Each of them brings a little bit different (aspects) that we need. The consistency they’ve shown, the resiliency through what we’ve been through the first part of our season. It says a lot about their character. They’re very selfless in their approaches. They each know how important they are to this team; how valuable they are to us. It’s amazing to see them continue to just thrive in situations like this. There’s so much growth that happened today but those three have been very consistent and steady for us,” Quinn told me.
Sue Bird started the game red-hot scoring seven points in the first quarter on 3-4 FG shooting. However, she didn’t score again for the rest of the game and only took one additional shot. She focused the rest of the game on distributing the ball and finished with seven assists.
Gabby Williams also played a big role in this game despite only scoring the six points. Williams had a career-high nine assists in the game including some really beautiful passes like this full-court football-like toss to Jewell Loyd at the other end.
Gabby got some timely rebounds in the game and played very good defense against Allisha Gray and Arike Ogunbowale. If only she could increase her scoring average to 8-10 PPG she would be another huge addition to the team. Right now the offense just isn’t there but she does so many other things right you want her on the court.
I asked Coach Quinn about their defense against Dallas’ guards after the game.
“Arike is a high-volume shooter and we know that. We can’t get too high or low because she hits big shots on us all the time. In general, she’s a tough shot-taker and maker. We flipped the matchup, we put Gabby on Gray to start and we put Jewell on Arike. We wanted to bring more size to Gray. Both times we played Dallas, we made sure the team understood that Gray is key to their success. There is a significant drop-off when she’s not on the floor. Just making sure the team understood the importance of Gray. Throughout the course of the game, sending different bodies to Arike. Towards the end of the game, we switched the matchup to put Gabby back on Arike and Jewell on Gray. By that time, she wasn’t in a rhythm. In general, without Mabrey on the floor, those two got a lot of attention. I also thought we did a better job on the rebounding today. We did a better job on our KYP (Know Your Personnel); keeping everyone else in front. At the end of the day, just making it a tough night for Arike however we could,” Quinn answered.
Seattle’s offense was some of the best we’ve seen all season with the team shooting over 55% (37-67 FG) and above 41% (7-17) from beyond the arc. They also had 28 assists on those 37-made baskets. The Storm also outrebounded the Wings 34-26 which was another key to victory. They also had a 48-40 advantage with points in the paint and a 17-13 edge in fastbreak points.
I talked with Stewart about the keys to their offense after they scored 38 more points in this game compared to the last time they faced Dallas.
“For a couple of the games at home, the ball wasn’t making it to the second side. When we swing it and swing it back, when we screen, and come off screens. The defense is moving. They’re trying to get into their schemes. We know we’re going to find someone. Today, it was Ezi a lot on her cuts, Gabby the same. Having more movement and fluidity in our offense was a real point of emphasis,” Stewie replied.
The Dallas Wings
Dallas was led by the 23 points of Arike Ogunbowale. However, she had to take 17 shots to get those 23 points and made just six of them. She was a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line, however. Arike was tied for a team-high in assists with six alongside Ty Harris who got the start for Marina Mabrey, who was out sick in the Health & Safety protocols.
After the game, I talked to Jewell about the defensive game plan to slow down Arike.
“That was our game plan going in, to contest shots. We know she’s going to get them up. We just want to be in her space as much as possible. Everyone had a shot at her. Bri was on her, I was on her, Gabby was on her. Everyone had a chance. Our scheme was just to make it tough. She’s a great player, obviously a great scorer, so she’s going to hit tough shots. We just want to be in her space and we did a good job of containing that tonight,” Loyd told me.
Isabelle Harrison was actually the Wings’ best player on the night overall scoring 19 points on 7-10 FG shooting. She was tied with Kayla Thorton for a team-high six rebounds. She also led her team with three steals. Harrison’s 19 points off the bench helped Dallas outscore Seattle’s reserves 36-13.
Allisha Gray was the only other player for Dallas in double figures with 12 points. But like Ogunbowale, she didn’t have a very efficient night making just 4-11 FG.
Satou Sabally and Awak Kuier each had nine points in the game. Kuier had one of her better games offensively but did struggle to stay in front of Breanna Stewart on the defensive end. She did get a steal that led to an open lane where she dunked the ball. That was fun!
Dallas did force the Storm into 18 turnovers. They also did much better at the foul line connecting on 21-22 free throw attempts while Seattle made just 8-13.
Game Breakdown
The Storm got off to a 7-0 start before Dallas got on the board. Sue Bird got the first points driving into the paint. Stewie hit a three and Gabby got a layup.
Dallas responded back with a three-point basket for Allisha Gray and then Arike was fouled on a three-point attempt and connected on all three shots from the charity stripe.
Gabby Williams had an incredible full-court pass to Jewell Loyd for the easy layup. It looked so pretty. Loyd finished at the rim and Seattle was up 16-8.
With four minutes left in the opening period, Awak Kuier got a steal with a wide-open lane ahead of her and she finished with a dunk at the rim. When they were in Seattle, Kuier dunked during the pre-game warmups.
Stewart made three consecutive shots to put the Storm up ten at 22-12 but Dallas would respond with their own 10-0 run. Veronica Burton hit a jumper and Jasmine Dickey was fouled and made both of her free throws. Izzy Harrison hit a three showing off her range and Awak made a basket and was fouled completing the AND1 to tie the game at 22-22. Jantel Lavender made a layup to finish the quarter with the Storm leading by two (24-22).
To begin the 2nd quarter the Storm went on an 8-0 run to increase their lead back to ten. Sadly, it didn’t last long at all as Dallas would immediately go on a 9-0 run to cut the game to 32-31.
Ezi was able to score back-to-back baskets down in the paint. She also had a very impressive block against Allisha Gray on the other end which you can watch in the clip below.
Ogunbowale hit a three. Dallas got a stop and Arike then drove down and drew a foul on Gabby Williams sinking both free throws to give Dallas their first lead of the game 41-40. Loyd made a basket at the end of the first half as the Storm took a one-point lead (42-41) into the locker rooms.
Breanna Stewart hit a three to cap off an 8-0 run to put the Storm up 53-45 roughly four minutes into the third period. Harrison scored five quick points for Dallas to cut into the lead but another three by Stewart put the Storm back up by eight at 58-50.
There was some beautiful ball movement by Seattle where nearly every player touched the ball on a single possession that ended with Gabby Williams connecting on a mid-range jumper. That’s a play you have to watch!
Briann January found Ezi down in the paint for a basket to put Seattle up 12-points at 64-52. This was their biggest lead of the game up to this point. Harrison scored five points late in the third quarter as Seattle held onto a 66-59 lead heading into the final period.
Dallas used 9-2 run between the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters to cut Seattle’s lead to five at 66-61.
Free throws by Arike and then a fastbreak layup by Satou Sabally cut the Storm’s lead down to two at 69-67 with 7:23 left in the game.
Ogunbowale started to take over midway through the fourth which led to a 7-0 run that gave them the one-point lead at 74-73.
Arike was in her bag as she hit a step-back three-pointer off one foot while being guarded by two defenders to put Dallas up 81-78. Jewell Loyd came right down and nailed a three of her own to tie the game in what was a much-needed response.
Allisha Gray drove in and scored for Dallas, then Stewart got two attempts and made the second to tie it again with under three minutes left to play. Jewell had a bad turnover after being trapped just past half-court that led to a wide-open Ty Harris layup.
Stewart scored on a pick-and-roll with Sue Bird; she got the matchup against the smaller Allisha Gray and was fouled while making the short-range shot. Stewie made the free throw for the AND1 opportunity to put the Storm up one at 86-85 with 41 seconds left in the game.
Seattle got a stop and Briann January was immediately fouled. She missed the first but made the second free throw as Seattle led by two. With 13 seconds left Arike drove past multiple defenders and finished at the rim. The ref called a foul on Ezi Magbegor despite the fact that her hands were straight up and Ogunbowale forced the contact. It was a terrible call that was compounded by the fact that it fouled Ezi out of the game. Arike made the free throw to put Dallas up one. Seattle called timeout with 13 seconds left in the game.
Coach Quinn drew up a beautiful play that got Stewart deep paint position. She was surrounded by multiple Dallas defenders but was able to draw the foul. With 6.7 seconds left in the game, Stewart calmly sank both free throws to put the Storm back up one at 89-88.
On the final play of the game, Arike raced down the court and got an excellent look at a three-point basket. The shot rimmed out (just barely) and the Storm had won the game by a single point!
I spoke with Stewie after the game about the team’s execution with her scoring those five points in the final minute of the game.
“With the first play, without giving away our plays, we knew they were going to switch. We were going to have an opportunity to have a shot, get to the basket. I wanted to be aggressive. At that moment, we were down two. I didn’t think we needed to go for a three that early on. Then the 2nd one was a play for me and Jewell. We both wanted to find an opportunity to get open and just make a play. Today it was me and the next time it’ll be Jewell. It just happens that way,” Stewart told me.
Additional Analysis
Dallas’ Players Missing in Action
No, I’m not talking about Marina Mabrey who missed this game while she waits to clear Health & Safety protocols. I’m mostly talking about Teaira McCowan and Charli Collier.
McCowan was traded from the Indiana Fever to the Dallas Wings this off-season. The third overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft had moderate success in all three years. During her time with Indiana, she averaged roughly 23 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 1.3 BPG.
But her minutes have been drastically reduced since coming to Dallas. This season, she’s averaging just 8.7 MPG, 3.7 PPG, and 2.7 RPG. If she was actually getting her normal minutes closer to 23 MPG she’d be averaging 9.78 PPG and 7.1 RPG. To me, that tells me it’s not that her production has massively dropped off from poor play but just a real lack of playing time.
McCowan has not played in three games this season including the two games against Seattle where she was a DNP (Did Not Play) - Coach’s Decision. She also missed the first game of the year while still playing overseas.
It’s always odd to me when a team makes a trade for a player, in this case, Dallas traded away their first-round pick to acquire McCowan. And then they just don’t play that player at all. Why even make the trade then? We saw that a little bit in Seattle with Kennedy Burke but not to this degree.
If it’s simply that she doesn’t fit Dallas’ faster uptempo playstyle then why did Greg Bibb make the move in the first place?
Next, take another look at Charli Collier. What a disappointment this has been probably for both parties, Collier and the Wings. She struggled her rookie season despite getting some playing time (over 12 MPG) and playing in 28 of their games while starting in 18 of them. In her first year, she put up minimal numbers averaging 3.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG.
Now in her sophomore season, she’s playing even less! She’s played in just 8 of the Wings’ 12 games averaging just 3.6 minutes per contest. Collier is averaging 1.1 PPG and 0.5 RPG this season. This is the former number one overall pick we’re talking about. Yes, the 2021 WNBA Draft has been extremely disappointing. But Collier was generally considered the consensus top pick. There has to be some talent there right?
Is this just a situation where her game just isn’t translating to the WNBA level? She’s 6’5” and pretty athletic so it should. She also isn’t going to develop if she’s not even being given the chance. Not playing in every game and only playing three minutes per game is not going to help her get better in this league.
I’m curious what do you guys think? Will Collier or her agent demand a trade? Could the Wings even get a 2nd round pick out of her? I can’t imagine any GM willing to give up a first-round pick at this point with such little production shown in two seasons. Or will Vickie Johnson and the Wings continue to not play her this season and in 2023 and just cut bait after that?
The Bench Looks Old
I don’t want to harp on this too much because I just spent a bunch of time writing about it during my last article which I highly recommend you read if you missed it.
It’s now six games in a row Seattle’s bench has been outscored. This is such a fascinating development because the bench looked great through six games and has been (mostly) awful ever since.
I don’t know if it’s Covid that may have affected players like Stephanie Talbot and Epiphanny Prince. I do know Mercedes is coming off an injury and just isn’t her normal self yet. Something I think we’re seeing small signs of which is a positive but it might take most (or all) of this season for her to get “right”.
Even Briann January, who is still making good plays defensively, seems to have dropped off in production, especially on the offensive end of the court.
January, who already announced her retirement at the conclusion of this year, is playing in her 14th season in the WNBA. Prince is playing in her 13th and Lavender in her 11th. There is a lot of age with that group of reserves and while athleticism has never played as large of a role in the WNBA, there is no denying that younger players entering the league now are bigger, faster, stronger, and more athletic than 10 years ago.
When this roster was constructed this season the team may have been over-reliant on their veterans. Seattle’s players have an average of 8.5 years of experience in the league already. Even if you remove Sue Bird and her 19 years, the team still averages 7.5 years of experience in the WNBA per player.
Compare that to the Dallas Wings who have been competitive and even beaten Seattle multiple times over the past two years, their players have an average of just 3.6 years of WNBA experience.
All professional athletes have a shelf life and some sadly hit a wall where they are no longer very productive. We saw it with Crystal Langhorne in Seattle where during her final three seasons with the team there was a massive dropoff in production compared to the double-digit scorer she had been throughout her entire career. During her final three seasons, she lost playing time to a younger more productive player. In 2018, it was Natasha Howard. In 2019, it was Mercedes Russell and in 2020, it was Ezi Magbegor.
If Seattle’s bench continues to struggle over the next four games during this road trip, if I were Talisa Rhea, I would seriously consider making a move if not two.
I spoke with Richard Cohen of HerHoopStats if it’s still possible for the Storm to make a move within the salary cap by cutting a non-guaranteed contract and signing another player. He confirmed it would be possible but has to be done by June 23rd. After that and the team’s remaining non-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed.
In my last article (linked above), I listed a handful of different players the Storm could consider adding. You can reference that if you need a refresher.
If the Storm don’t want to make any further roster changes to the team this year. Then I would consider playing Gabby Williams a little more. She’s currently averaging 25 MPG which is the lowest among the starters.
Alternatively, they could play Steph Talbot more minutes and hope she breaks out of her offensive shooting funk she’s been in lately.
Jersey Count
The Storm were back in their black and gray “Rebel” uniforms while playing on the road at Dallas. They improved their record to 3-1 this season while wearing this specific set tying their record while wearing the white and green “Heroine” jerseys. The Storm improved to 7-5 in the WNBA standings moving ahead of Dallas into the 5th seed in the league. They trail Las Vegas (10-2), Connecticut Sun (10-4), Chicago Sky (8-4), and the Washington Mystics (9-5).
Records per jersey type this season:
Rebel: 3-1
Explorer: 1-3
Heroine: 3-1
Overall Record: 7-5
Up Next
These two teams play again in Dallas on Sunday, June 12th at 1:00 PM. Can Seattle pull off another big road win or will Dallas get their revenge? It should be fun to watch!
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. Word of mouth can really help me out so if you’ve enjoyed the content and think you know other Storm fans that would as well, please let them know.
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Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography Team and sometimes my own.
Loved this game but man, the tension! I think we still have work to do when the starters aren't all together on the floor. The bench is KILLING US without offensive production. This isn't just a this year problem but at least Coach Quinn seems to be trying different options. Defense was still locked in, even on Arike, but for all the positives I have to agree we need offensive minutes from our bench and we may need to go outside to get it. I can only hope Sue is right about things getting better now everyone is together and can gel, on and off the court.