Storm Fall Short Again, Lose 93-86

Connecticut scored 56 points in the paint.

(Uncasville, CT) - The Seattle Storm’s free fall continued as they lost again. This time to the Connecticut Sun (24-8). It was Seattle’s 5th loss in their past seven games. Just as the team did in 2021, the Storm have really struggled coming back from the Olympic break.

The good news is that the Storm have been competitive in these games. It’s not like they’re getting blown out by 25-30 points. A year ago, the Storm lost games by 41 and 33 points during the season. While Seattle has lost their last two games against the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun, the top two teams in the WNBA, they kept those games into single-digit deficits throughout most of those games.

With Seattle’s five losses since the Paris Olympics, two of those have come by just two points each. While the team’s trajectory has taken a downward turn they still have eight games to correct things before the playoffs begin. And despite the recent losses, the team is guaranteed at least two playoff games this season.

The Storm got strong contributions from four out of their five starters. Jewell Loyd led all scorers with 27 points. Loyd was very efficient connecting on 50% (8-16 FG) of her shots overall and 38% from beyond the arc. She was also a perfect 8-8 FT.

Nneka Ogwumike also performed well. She finished with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. She made 47% of her shots and went a perfect 5-5 FT. Skylar Diggins-Smith also had another strong game. Diggins-Smith finished with 16 points, six assists, and two steals. Ezi Magbegor has struggled since coming back from the Olympics but had a solid game with 13 points and seven rebounds.

I spoke with Loyd after the game about how Skylar’s improved her game since the team came back from the Olympics.

“Yeah, pushing the pace, getting into the paint consistently. Her ability is just to constantly add pressure. We see that and we need it. We need it from our front guard and she does that every single game. So she's finding her rhythm and it's nice to see.” Loyd told me.

Seattle struggled to contain Connecticut down low. Coach Quinn talked about her team’s issues after the game.

“The points in the paint. It's very clear. Like, look at the stats. They're very aggressive. It's not just Jones, both subs, you know, or giving up AND1’s. It's Mabrey to the cup. DiJonai to the cup. Burton to the cup. Our one-on-one defense has to be better…. I think it's the one-on-one stuff, in my opinion. I know it's team defense, but sometimes you just have to buckle up and have some pride in the matchup. But also, when we do have breakdowns, when we were having breakdowns (earlier in the season), Ezi’s ability to alter a lot of shots impacted that and she can't save us all the time. So I'll point to that. I'll also point to our rebounding. It was better today, but we haven't been sharp in that area as well. So we're talking about we want to finish off plays, defend without fouling, take the challenge as an individual match-up, and at the end of the day we have to finish off the days when we haven't been doing that consistently.” Coach Quinn stated.

Connecticut Sun

The Connecticut Sun are a very dangerous team. They are also a very deep team. The Sun had five players score in double figures and that did not include DeWanna Bonner or Alyssa Thomas! Bonner and Thomas combined for just 12 points total and yet Connecticut led by as many as 13 points in this game.

What Connecticut did have was a dominant low-post game. Brionna Jones was essentially unstoppable. She scored a team-high 26 points on 9-13 FG; with 17 of those points coming in the 2nd half. Seattle couldn’t stop her. She was too big and strong for either Ezi or Nneka to stop her down low. Mercedes Russell was limited to just 11 minutes and when she wasn’t playing, Jones seemed to get whatever she wanted.

Coach Quinn talked about the challenges of defending Jones.

“Jones is an All-Star player. I mean, you can throw anybody on her. She's going to do exactly what she does. What she did to us today. Her physicality is hard to match up with and against. You know if you put Mercedes out there then that means either Nneka or Ezi, one of those are out. I think Cedes did an excellent job. I think she did well today in her minutes. But that's not the only matchup that causes problems.”

Beyond Jones who scored a season-high on Sunday, DiJonai Carrington played very well. Carrington, one of the front runners for the Most Improved Player Award, finished with 14 points on 6-9 FG shooting. She also had three rebounds and three steals. Ty Harris, who has also stepped her game up this year, added 13 points on 4-6 FG and four rebounds.

But it wasn’t just Connecticut’s starters. Because they are such a deep team, they can bring Marina Mabrey off the bench depending on their matchup. Mabrey did a lot of damage against Seattle. She was the Sun’s second-leading scorer behind Jones tallying 15 points on 55% (6-11 FG) shooting. She also hit some clutch baskets to seal the victory for Connecticut. Veronica Burton also came off the bench and scored a season-high 11 points on a perfect 3-3 FG. The second player for Connecticut to score a season-high in this game.

Overall, the Sun outshot Seattle 54% (32-59 FG) to 42% (30-71 FG). Neither team was strong from three-point range as Connecticut made 33% (3-9 FG) from beyond the arc and the Storm made 19% (4-21 FG). One of the aspects that kept Seattle in the game was the poor free throw shooting of Connecticut. They made just 68% of their free throws but they shot an absurd amount. They made 26 out of 38 attempts. Seattle did a much better job of making their foul shots connecting on 92% (22-24 FT) but still were a minus-four for the game due to the Sun taking nearly 40 free throws.

With players like Jones, Thomas, Carrington, and Burton getting to the rim frequently the Sun outscored the Storm 56-42 inside the paint. They lived inside the painted area. It’s the biggest reason why they came away with a victory. Connecticut had the smallest edge in rebounds (32-31) and fast break points (10-8).

Outside of their dominance in the paint, the Sun won because of their depth. Connecticut’s bench outscored Seattle’s reserves 28 to 6.

I spoke with Nneka Ogwumike about if they could have done anything different to keep Connecticut out of the paint.

“I think it's not as obvious as just the ball being in the paint and the ball going up. I think it's more about how the play starts, and then what creates the shifting of the defense that creates that point in the paint. I think that's kind of what it's all about. And so we have to be sharper at the top of the possession to ensure that points in the paint aren't that easy.” She answered.

Game Breakdown

Nneka Ogwumike got an assist from Skylar Diggins-Smith for the game’s first basket. DeWanna Bonner evened things up with her midrange jumper. Two offensive rebounds on one possession resulted in a basket by Alyssa Thomas. After that, Connecticut got two breakaway transition baskets by DiJonai Carrington as the Sun quickly went up 8-2. Diggins-Smith got a screen for a layup. Ty Harris was fouled on the other end by SDS and made both free throws.

Jewell drilled a 15-foot jumper. Loyd scored again. Brionna Jones and Ezi Magbegor swapped baskets at each end. Seattle used a 7-0 run to take the lead at 15-13 after another layup by Skylar. After the Storm’s run, Connecticut quickly went on their own 7-0 run to regain their five-point lead at 20-15. Harris buried a three-ball and got inside the paint. Alyssa Thomas then bulldozed her way straight to the rim.

Magbegor got fouled and made both free throws. Olivia Nelson-Ododa got a fortunate call and made the best of it sinking both of her foul shots. Jewell drilled her second three-pointer to give her 10 points in the opening quarter. Connecticut led 22-20 at the end of the first.

Sami Whitcomb found an open Jordan Horston under the basket for two. Carrington then got open under Connecticut’s basket for a layup. DiJonai was able to split a pair of free throws. Mercedes Russell snagged a strong pass and finished at the rim. Marina Mabrey got past Jordan on a drive and was fouled while finishing through contact. Mabrey finished the AND1 opportunity.

Burton was able to finish a strong drive at the rim for the Sun. Nneka then found Skylar as she cut to the basket to cut Connecticut’s lead down to four at 30-26. Marina Mabrey made a silky smooth jumper.

Alyssa Thomas hurt her knee again as multiple players scrambled for a loose ball. Seattle continued to make costly turnovers. That allowed the Sun to go on a 10-2 run and build their largest lead of the first half at 35-26. After a timeout, Seattle responded with layups by Gabby Williams and a pair of free throws from Ogwuike. Brionna Jones finished at the rim for two. Loyd scored on a layup. Bonner was fouled and made both free throws. Loyd was then fouled and sank both of her foul shots. Brionna Jones converted an AND1 to end the first half. At the break, the Sun led Seattle 42-34.

While Thomas left the 2nd quarter with the knee injury she did return to begin the 2nd half of the game. Jewell picked up her 4th foul less than a minute into the third period and had to sit the majority of the quarter.

Ty Harris scored. Carrington converted an AND1 and then scored again with another layup. Skylar fought back with a jumper. Back-to-back baskets from Brionna Jones gave the Sun their largest lead up 13 at 55-42. Nneka and Ezi scored to cut the deficit down to single digits. Ogwumike then hit a three-pointer after another Brionna Jones layup to cut it down to eight.

Coach Quinn subbed in Jordan Horston and the Storm went on a little run. She scored a basket and helped Seattle create some offense. Nneka and Jewell made some free throws to cut Connecticut’s lead down to six at 62-56. It looked like the Storm were going to force the Sun into a turnover as Alyssa Thomas threw an errant pass back to the top of the arc but it was recovered by Veronica Burton. With the shot clock winding down she chucked up the shot and buried the three-pointer to end the third period. That was a back-breaking play. The Sun led 65-56 at the end of the third.

Ezi Magbegor used a quick drive to the rim for two to start the 4th quarter. Marina Mabrey responded with a triple. Jewell made a midrange jumper. Nneka scored to cut the Sun’s lead down to six at 68-62. Ty Harris was able to beat Loyd with a jumper in the paint. Jewell was fouled and made both free throws. Mabrey had another high-arching shot go in. Skylar Diggins-Smith was fouled and made both free throws.

Nneka scored with a corner three but her toe was on the line erasing the extra point. Brionna Jones went to work again scoring down low and then getting fouled on the next possession. And again down to Jones for another layup. Skylar was fouled and made both free throws.

Seattle battled back as Skylar dribbled down the baseline and passed the ball to Loyd as Jewell knocked down a corner three. After Alyssa Thomas split a pair of free throws, Nneka Ogwumike was able to finish down low with an AND1 to cut the Sun’s lead down to three at 84-81.

Marina Mabrey nailed a clutch floater to seal the victory for Connecticut. Jewell airballed a three-pointer on the next possession and Seattle was forced to foul. Loyd was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws. Mabrey split a pair of free throws to keep the Sun up five.

Carrington then foolishly fouled Gabby Williams in the corner as Gabby was shooting a three-pointer. She made two out of the three free throws to cut the Sun’s lead to just three with 22 seconds left. Seattle was forced to foul and Ty Harris split another pair of free throws. The Sun’s inability to make their free throws kept Seattle in the game longer than they should have been. Unfortunately, Jewell missed another three-pointer. Seattle had to foul again and Veronica Burton made some more free throws to end the game. Connecticut survived Seattle’s late rally to win 93-86.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

Searching For Answers

Seattle is searching for answers. They’ve lost five out of their last seven games. In some games, the effort hasn’t been up to par. In other games, the team has done a horrible job of boxing out and giving up way too many offensive rebounds. During another loss, the team continually gave up wide-open three after wide-open three. Good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose games. Since coming back from the Olympics, the Storm have played like a bad team more often than not.

I asked Nneka Ogwumike after the game if there were specific things that she felt the team was doing when they won eight of ten games right before the extended break versus now where they’ve lost the majority of their games since the Olympic break.

She didn’t have a solid answer.

“I can’t put a finger on it.” Nneka Ogwumike told me.

When I pressed her further on the question.

“As I think about it, I can't really put a finger on it. It's not that anything isn't standing out. Like, it's obvious that our defense isn't where it needs to be. But I wouldn't say that's, like, only it. You know, I just really can't put a finger on it.” Ogwumike added.

I also spoke to Coach Quinn about it.

“I think there's a fatigue factor to us, but also I just continue to focus on the defensive side of the ball. We haven't been the same since before the break. Offensively, I mean, scoring 86, you know, that's good to see us in the 80s. And some can't even bother saying the three-point shooting. That hasn't been great all year, but the twos and the free throws, the points off the turnovers, and the 42 points in the paint, those are all positives offensively. So I would just say that our defense isn't where it needs to be. We had a lot of Olympians, including myself, This is a long season. There is some reality to that, but no excuse. We got to kind of find a pocket, get back to playing, the way in which we're playing before the break.” Quinn stated.

Making the Rotations Work

It feels like the Storm need to figure out a way to improve the rotations. The bench has been an overall disappointment this season but they aren’t void of talent. A lot of the time, they aren’t given much of an opportunity. With four potential All-Stars in the starting lineup, it is understandable that they are going to play heavy minutes. But there are games where Jewell is playing 37 minutes or more. Where Nneka or Skylar are playing 35 minutes or more. It may not be necessary to play them for that many minutes. Especially, if there is concern that players are tired from the Olympics.

While Seattle has so much talent on the roster, sometimes these players have a bad game. I think it’s OK to try and play some of the other players to see if any of them can give the team a spark when they need it. I believe at one point, Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike, and Ezi Magbegor all started the game shooting around 1-5 FG. If they are all struggling, give Jordan Horston a chance. Give Mercedes Russell a chance.

The media spoke with Coach Quinn about Mercedes not playing as much as she could have. Quinn did suggest that if Russell is playing that means either Ezi or Nneka would have to sit. And while that’s mostly true, does it have to be?

With the way Brionna Jones was abusing Magbegor down low, why not try to counter the Sun with an ultra-big lineup of Mercedes Russell, Ezi Magbegor, and Nneka Ogwumike? Nneka has proven she can stretch the floor and knock down the three-point shot. She is capable of playing a big wing if the team is getting crushed by an opposing team’s height like they were on Sunday.

In this specific game, Gabby was not giving the team very much on offense. She finished making just one of her seven field goal attempts. I know that Gabby’s scoring is about the 4th or 5th thing they need her to do when she’s on the court but it did feel like her lack of scoring was hurting the Storm at times in this game.

It was good to see Horston and Victoria Vivians come in at one point in the 2nd half to see if they could give the team a jolt that it desperately needed. And while it wasn’t much, they did help Seattle cut Connecticut’s lead from around 10 to 6.

The team’s defense has been significantly worse in the 2nd half of this season. The team is also playing Jordan Horston for significantly fewer minutes. They need to find a way to play Jordan more. It doesn’t always have to be at the sacrifice of Gabby’s minutes. If Jewell has one of her inefficient games where she’s made 3-12 FG give her a few extra minutes of rest and let Jordan play. If Sami Whitcomb is missing all of her three-pointers, let Jordan get some of her minutes. If Nneka or Ezi get in foul trouble early, they could always play Horston at the four for a limited amount of time. While I was mostly against her playing the four last season because I felt her natural position was the two or three, she did play a decent portion of the 2023 season at that spot. If they feel they could get more out of her than Joyner Holmes when Nneka or Ezi are in foul trouble, give it a shot.

I did speak with Coach Quinn on if there was anything that Jordan needed to do to get more playing time.

“(Just) continue to do what she's doing. It's not about a matter of her getting more minutes. There's a rotation that she can do really well in. She can continue to stay in that pocket as she did at the beginning of the year. You know, when Gabby's on the floor, she helps a lot with our ability to have other people initiate when a team is in heavy nail situations. And able to pack the paint because our three-point shooting isn't very sharp. Having Gabby initiate helps us a lot to give Jewell the ball, to give Skylar the ball in action. And so that's one thing that I feel comfortable with Gabby.

Jordan defensively gives us so much. And so there is a difference when that unit is on the floor, and we have to continue to explore. This is about matchups, and DB at the three is a difficult matchup. It's schematically just thinking like a coach. Do I want to play defense? Do I need some offense as well? Jordan has done great. Not a knock on anything. Not a knock on her ability to play in this league. She's a pro. She'll be ready.” Quinn answered.

Hopefully, the team can find a way to get both Horston and Gabby enough playing time. Maybe that’s resting star players a little more like Loyd or Diggins-Smith. Maybe it’s getting creative with the rotations and playing Gabby at the one and Jordan and the three. Or Gabby at the three and Jordan as an undersized four. The coaches may have to get creative with their lineups and rotations because right now things aren’t working as well as they should be.

Up Next

The Storm (19-13) have an immediate rematch with the Sun (23-8) in Connecticut on Tuesday, September 3rd at 4:00 PM PDT.

Notes:
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