Storm Handle Aces 102-82 in Loyd's Return

Seattle was elite on both ends to topple the Las Vegas Aces.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm (3-1) dominated the Las Vegas Aces (2-2) in the first half and maintained over the final 20 minutes to hand the Aces their most lopsided defeat in the first month of the season. Seattle outscored Las Vegas 58-36 in the first half on their way to an impressive 102-82 victory. It was redemption of sorts for Head Coach Noelle Quinn, who had an ugly “divorce” with former Storm star Jewell Loyd in the offseason.

Seattle used an efficient and balanced attack on offense to take down the Aces. Five Storm players scored in double figures, and seven players scored eight points or more. They were led by Nneka Ogwumike, who finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Ogwumike also did a tremendous job defensively against A’ja Wilson, outplaying the former three-time league MVP. But Nneka certainly wasn’t alone. Erica Wheeler had an inspired game off the bench, contributing with 21 points on 8-11 FG, including 3-5 FG from beyond the arc. Wheeler also finished with seven assists.

Ezi Magbegor had her best game of the season. After early-season struggles on the offensive end, Magbegor finished with 12 points on 50% field goal shooting and seven rebounds. Gabby Williams continues to do it all. She finished with 12 points on 5-8 FG, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Skylar Diggins added 10 points and a team-high eight assists. Alysha Clark had her best game (a theme for most of the players), she finished with nine points on 4-5 FG, three rebounds, and a steal. Lastly, rookie Dominique Malonga shined in limited minutes. Dom finished with eight points and five rebounds.

The Storm played so well as a team in this game. They were moving the ball and finding the open shooter. Seattle’s 32 assists in this game were the third-most in franchise history. Seattle shot a blistering 60% (42-70 FG) and 50% (8-16 FG) from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, their defense was excellent. They limited an extremely talented Las Vegas Aces team to 44% (29-66 FG) and 36% (9-25 FG) from long range.

The home team out-rebounded Las Vegas 34-25. It was the first time Seattle had won the rebounding battle through four games this year. Seattle’s frontcourt shined as they outscored the Aces 52-38 with points in the paint. They also raced past the Aces with a 24-10 advantage in fast break points. The Storm’s bench outscored the Aces’ 36-31. Seattle led by as many as 27 points in the 2nd half before letting the bench get some more playing time.

This was the best Seattle has looked against Las Vegas since their 2020 domination in the WNBA Finals.

Las Vegas Aces

A’ja Wilson led the Aces, but she didn’t appear to be her normal MVP self. She finished with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. It’s funny that type of stat line is considered a “poor game” by A’ja Wilson standards, but it is. She seemed to be more passive in the first quarter, allowing Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young to get most of the shots up.

Loyd was incredible to start the game, knocking in four of her first five shot attempts, including 3-3 FG from beyond the arc. She scored 12 of her 14 points in the opening quarter but cooled off after that.

Jackie Young added 14 points on 7-11 FG. She also scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half. Loyd was the only starter for Las Vegas to play in the 4th quarter.

Elizabeth Kitley came in midway through the third period and scored eight points in the quarter, and finished with 11 points off the bench. She also had five rebounds and two blocked shots. The former Virginia Tech star looked promising in limited minutes.

Game Breakdown

Alsyha Clark scored in the low-post to begin the game. Jewell Loyd knocked in a three-pointer and her first shot attempt of the game. Nneka Ogwumike drilled a corner three. Loyd then dribbled past two defenders and was fouled for the AND1. Skylar found Ezi down low for two. Then, Skylar and Gabby forced a turnover that led to a fast break layup for Williams. Loyd hit another three-ball. Nneka hit a mid-range jumper, and Ezi scored again down low as the Storm quickly went up four. Jackie Young responded with a drive to the layup to make it 13-11 Seattle midway through the first period.

Gabby Williams hit a corner three. Young responded with another layup on a nice cut to the rim. Nneka scored again in the paint, Seattle’s 10th point in the paint. Coach Becky Hammon was not pleased and called a timeout. Out of the timeout, A’ja Wilson found Jewell Loyd in the corner for another three-pointer. Erica Wheeler was able to respond with a three on the other end. Seattle then got a deflection on defense that led to a Diggins fast break, where she was fouled. She made both free throws to put the Storm up seven at 23-16.

The Storm finished the first period on an 11-4 run. That included a couple of baskets from Ogwumike, two free throws from Erica Wheeler, a corner three by Alysha Clark, and a baseline cut reverse layup by Gabby Williams. Seattle led 34-20 at the end of the first quarter.

A’ja Wilson was able to draw a foul against Ezi and made both free throws. Zia Cooke had just checked into the game and drove hard to the rim for two. Wheeler made another three-pointer. The Aces were able to draw more fouls, first against Clark and then against Zia Cooke. Chelsea Gray made both free throws. Wheeler scored on another pull-up jumper, but that was countered by an A’ja Wilson pull-up and a three-ball by Gray. That cut the Storm’s 17-point lead down to 12, forcing Coach Noelle Quinn into a timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Storm found Nneka Ogwumike open down the baseline corner for two. Coach Becky Hammon called a timeout again as she was unhappy with her team’s defense. Chelsea Gray bullied her way to the rim for two out of the Aces’ timeout. Magbegor drew a foul down low and made both free throws. After a couple of defensive stops, Gabby Williams hit a three. The Storm followed that up with a strong defensive stop against A’ja Wilson. Then Nneka scored on a cut to the rim. Erica Wheeler got a steal against A’ja that led to a Diggins layup. A couple of plays later, Wheeler got another steal that led to another fast break basket. The Storm led 58-36 at the half.

A’ja Wilson scored on the first possession of the 2nd half. Nneka Ogwumike responded with back-to-back baskets, including a three-ball. Las Vegas’s defense picked off a couple of telegraphed passes that resulted in points for Loyd and Wilson. Seattle responded with baskets from Ezi, Nneka, and Skylar.

Becky Hammon made a smart substitution to put in Elizabeth Kitley while Seattle was going with a smaller lineup, and she scored six points in three consecutive possessions. Then the Storm turned it over, and Chelsea Gray split a pair of free throws.

Dominique Malonga checked in to counter Kitley’s size and was able to score down low. A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young scored for the Aces. Seattle got baskets from Alysha Clark and Ezi Magbegor. Kitley scored again, her eighth point in just six minutes.

Seattle held onto a 21-point lead to end the third quarter at 80-59.

Dana Evans knocked down a three-pointer to begin the 4th. Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor scored back-to-back baskets for Seattle. Jewell Loyd ripped the ball away from Nneka right before Ogwumike could lay the ball in, and that led to a fast break score for Tiffany Mitchell. Mitchell was fouled by Malonga, who was trying to get back on defense but couldn’t convert the AND1.

Coach Quinn subbed her starters back in as the Aces went to their reserves (plus Loyd). The Aces made a bit of a run as Liz Kitley scored again. Then Dana Evans and Aaliyah Nye made back-to-back three-pointers. That cut Seattle’s lead to 17 at 90-73 with 4:18 left. The Aces would never get any closer than that. Seattle’s reserves came in and finished the job.

Seattle responded with baskets from Li Yueru and Malonga. Zia Cooke was able to make some aggressive drives to draw a foul. She made both free throws. Nye and Wheeler swapped three-point baskets. Wheeler scored again in the paint. Kierstan Bell made a three-pointer in the final seconds for the game’s final score.

In the end, Seattle dominated throughout and won 102-82.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Storm (3-1) go on the road to face the Minnesota Lynx (4-0) on Tuesday, May 27th at 5:00 PM. It’ll be a matchup of two of the league’s three best teams (per the standings) and will be an excellent test for Seattle.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts, quotes, and discussion from the Storm’s 102-82 win over the Las Vegas Aces. Including exclusive Storm Chaser short interviews with Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga, plus thoughts on Coach Quinn, Jewell Loyd, Malonga, and more. It will be sent exclusively to paid subscribers tomorrow morning.

Notes:
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