Storm handle their business against the Minnesota Lynx 103-88 (Free Edition)
The Storm clinch a first-round bye with their victory over the Minnesota Lynx.
(Bradenton, FL) - The Seattle Storm picked up another crucial victory on Sunday afternoon by defeating the Minnesota Lynx 103-88. Seattle used a balanced attack with five players (four starters) scoring in double figures. The Storm remain the #1 overall seed in the WNBA after improving their record to 16-3. Seattle has now won five games in a row. They have three games remaining and can lock up a double-bye (Top 2 seed) if they win just one of their final three games. Seattle may end up having to win all three remaining games however if they want to lock up the number one overall seed ahead of Las Vegas (14-4).
Natasha Howard led the team in scoring with 19 points. Howard also had four rebounds and four steals in this game. Howard shot 8-12 (67%) from the floor and got several key points in the paint. Natasha also did an excellent job defensively on Napheesa Collier who was limited to just 10 points on 4-9 shooting.
Breanna Stewart really had another game where her value is seen across multiple statistical categories. Stewart had 18 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals. It wasn’t quite the near triple-double she had against Los Angeles, but she’s certainly helping the team in a variety of ways.
Jewell Loyd had an excellent game as well with 16 points and seven assists. She was also extremely efficient from the floor going 6-8 (75%) and 2-3 (67%) from the three-point range.
Alysha Clark came up with some big buckets, especially in the 2nd half. Clark knocked down three triples and scored 15 points in this game. She also did a little bit of everything gathering five rebounds, three steals, and defending both guard and post players from Minnesota.
Sue Bird didn’t score in double figures and did not shoot the ball particularly well going 3-9 (33%) and just 2-7 from beyond the arc. But she still finished with eight points and seven assists. And a fierce block on 5’5” Crystal Dangerfield!
Ezi Magbegor looked excellent in this game as she continues to cement herself as the Storm’s best post player off the bench. Ezi went 4-5 from the floor and scored 12 points as the only reserve player to score in double digits.
As a team, Seattle shot 52% (35-67) and had one of their best three-point shooting games in a long time going 42% (11-26) from long distance. Seattle also held the edge in assists (28-21).
Defensively, Seattle held Minnesota to 47% (29-62) from the floor. However, the Lynx were able to say close in the game by knocking down 12 triples for 46% (12-26).
Seattle leads the WNBA in steals per contest and had 15 in this game. They also forced Minnesota into 24 turnovers. Which was a large factor and why Seattle came out on top in this one.
The Minnesota Lynx were led by Damiris Dantas who scored a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds. She continues to have an impressive season. Dantas is having her best season averaging a career-high 12.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. She has stepped up big time in the absence of the injured Sylvia Fowles (calf injury).
The Lynx also had four of their players score in double figures. Odyssey Sims chipped in 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. And one insane half-court shot! Crystal Dangerfield continues her Rookie of the Year candidacy with 13 points and two assists. Napheesa Collier was held in check by Seattle with just 10 points and six rebounds.
Around the W
The Dallas Wings (7-12) won an overtime thriller over the Washington Mystics (5-13) by a final score of 101-94. Arike Ogwubowale hit the game-tying three-ball with 0.7 seconds left to play in regulation. Ogwubowale has been such a clutch player ever since her college days at Notre Dame where she won a National Championship after hitting crazy late-game shots.
It wasn’t just that shot though. Ogwubowale scored a career-high 39 points on 12-24 FG shooting including going 4-6 from beyond the arc.
Four players for Dallas scored ten or more with Satou Sabally scoring 19 points and leading her team with six rebounds. Allisha Gray added 14 points and Marina Mabrey had 12 points. Mabrey continues to play well for Dallas since being inserted into the starting lineup midway through the season.
For the Washington Mystics, they were led by the 22 points from Ariel Atkins. Myisha Hines-Allen had a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Emma Meesseman had 16 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Leilani Mitchell had 13 points and led her team with nine assists. Mitchell has been a good pickup for the Mystics after they lost Kristi Toliver in the off-season.
This was probably the most important game remaining on Dallas’ schedule as they had just lost two straight and were only 1/2 game ahead of the Washington Mystics for the 8th and final playoff spot. A loss here would have put Washington ahead of Dallas with just three games left to play. But the win for the Wings is even more important because they now own all head-to-head tiebreakers by winning the season series (2-0). Because of that, they own a 2.5 game lead over Washington with just three games left to play. Dallas should be the heavy favorites to clinch the final playoff spot if they get one more win or Washington or Indiana lose another game.
In the final game of Sunday’s WNBA schedule, we saw the Los Angeles Sparks (14-5) pick up a critical win over the Chicago Sky (11-9) with the final score of 86-80. Chicago got off to a great start leading by eight points after the first quarter. But Los Angeles would go on to outscore Chicago in each of the final three periods by a total of 14 points.
Candace Parker continues to play at an elite level with 24 points and 15 rebounds. Chelsea Gray followed that up with 20 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. LA had four players total score in double figures with Brittney Sykes (11 pts) and Riquna Williams (10 pts) rounding out the group.
The Sky were held to just 10 points in the 4th quarter, a huge reason why they lost this game. They’re really lacking that legit go-to scorer when the game is on the line. And the team has taken a major hit since losing both Diamond DeShields and Azura Stevens to injuries. Chicago has lost five out of their last six games. A negative trend as the team limps into the playoffs.
Cheyenne Parker led her team with a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Allie Quigley continued to add to her record as the Chicago Sky’s All-Time leading scorer with 22 points. Kahleah Copper had 14 points and seven rebounds. While Courtney Vandersloot continued her WNBA best assist per game average by notching 15 more assists in this game. She also had nine points.
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read and want more. Consider checking out the Complete Edition including quarter by quarter breakdowns, discussion on the Storm’s different playoff scenarios. And full interviews by Coach Gary Kloppenburg!