Storm Pull Off Epic Comeback, Win 83-81

Seattle overcame a 21-point deficit on the road to win in Dallas!

(Arlington, Texas) - The Seattle Storm struggled again early but somehow came away with another win. This tied the largest comeback on the road (down 21) in Seattle Storm history. The Storm trailed 18-6 early in the first quarter and 44-23 midway through the second period. They used an incredible 34-13 third period that included a 19-0 run to get back into the game. After that huge scoring outburst in the third, they struggled to score over the final 10 minutes of the game but did just enough to walk away with a critical win. Skylar Diggins-Smith knocked down two free throws in the final 20 seconds of the game and Seattle got the defensive stop they needed to close out the game with an 83-81 victory.

Diggins-Smith talked about how they were able to overcome another poor start by the team.

“Pride. Pride. Pride. The first unit, we talk about this. We've been talking about this all year, how we start the games. And it's unacceptable how we start the games. I mean, you see the teams as great in this league for a reason. We want to be a great team. We didn't have the start that we wanted to start and credit them because they got (up big) halfway through the quarter. We got down big in the second quarter and we stayed together. Jewell got us together a little bit. Nneka got us together a little bit. We came together like, OK, we can chip away at this game, but things have to change and I thought at halftime, we talked about it. We shouldn’t need a pep talk from Noey. We shouldn’t need all these incentives to go out there and play some damn basketball the way we know how to play.” Skylar stated.

“But in the third quarter, we got into bodies. We switched our coverage up on the ball screens and started being more aggressive, started touching more. And we got into a flow offensively in that third quarter where we didn't have to call a lot of plays. We were just using our defense and running in transition, getting in drags, getting out, sharing the basketball. And that's, that's our style of play. And obviously that 34-point quarter gave us an opportunity and a shot at the end, even though we had a terrible fourth quarter. It kind of gave us some leeway there, but we stayed together. I liked how we stayed together. I liked how we showed some resiliency, some grit on the road against a team where this was their last game at home. They were playing with some pride and took us down to the wire. I thought we did what we needed to do to finish the game.” She added.

Coach Noelle Quinn added her thoughts as well.

“I thought that we were resilient. We had a big third quarter to get us back into the game and ultimately win the game. Some crucial possessions down the stretch, huge free throws by Sky. A good defensive possession and just a will to win no matter what. We talk about it all the time. Wins are hard to come by, especially on the road.” Quinn replied.

Four of Seattle’s five starters scored in double figures. Once again, they were led by Skylar Diggins-Smith who scored a team-high 21 points on 8-16 FG shooting including 3-6 FG from beyond the arc. Skylar has been shooting above 40% from three over this recent stretch. She also added four assists and four steals in the game.

Jewell Loyd added 15 points, a team-high six assists, and five rebounds. Jewell struggled a bit with her shot (5-17 FG) but was a perfect 5-5 FT from the foul line. In a close game, all of those were critical. As a team, Seattle went a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe.

Nneka Ogwumike finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Gabby Williams added 10 points, a team-high seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Mercedes Russell stepped up big off the bench playing 28 minutes, scoring nine points, and grabbing five rebounds. Russell played the majority of the second half as Ezi Magbegor did not return to the court after the first half. The TV copy cited an eye injury for Magbegor.

Seattle outshot Dallas 46% (34-74 FG) to 39% (30-78 FG). They were even slightly better from beyond the arc connecting on 24% (5-21 FG) compared to 22% (4-18 FG) for the Wings. The Storm had slight advantages in assists (23-20), blocks (4-3), and steals (11-9).

Mercedes Russell and Sami Whitcomb combined for 15 of the Storm’s 19 points off the bench and they outscored Dallas there 19-10. Both teams scored 48 points in the paint each but Seattle dominated in fast break points with a huge advantage of 33-14.

Dallas Wings

The Dallas Wings were led by Center Teaira McCowan who had a massive game with 23 points and 15 rebounds. She finished 8-14 FG and a perfect 7-7 FT. She also had a couple of big blocks and a steal.

Satou Sabally was on fire early scoring 16 of her 18 points in the first half. She added seven rebounds, a team-high six assists, and a pair of steals. Seattle did a good job defensively of limiting Sabally in the second half.

Coach Quinn talked about those adjustments.

“I think she was one for ten in the second half. And I think part of the basketball adjustment was to get into her body. I thought that she was very comfortable. You know, at the end of the day, it's KYP (Know Your Personnel). A lot of what we were doing (early) was not communicating the directions of screens and just slow to reacting. But the start of that was our immediate pressure on the basketball; like just getting into her body, recognizing reads, and when we did that I feel like we were into better schemes. I think we were helping more and I thought it was more clear more clarity where we needed to be on the floor.” Coach said.

Meanwhile, they locked Arike Ogunbowale up in the first half before she got going over the final two quarters. Arike has a tendency, that no matter how poor she’s shooting or playing, she always comes up big in the clutch moments. Ogunbowale scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half including eight points in the final minutes of the game. She had a chance to hit the game-winner but surprisingly missed.

Maddy Siegrist was solid replacing Natasha Howard in the starting lineup. She finished with eight points on 3-4 FG shooting and five rebounds.

Dallas dominated the glass out-rebounding the Storm 42-32. They also tripled Seattle’s offensive rebounds 15-5. And nearly doubled the Storm in second-chance points at 14-8.

Game Breakdown

It was a rough start for the Storm as they missed their first four shots and trailed 7-2 to begin the game. Dallas got a three-ball from Jacey Sheldon to start the scoring. Then points from McCowan and Maddy Siegrist. Ezi Magbegor got the Storm on the board.

Dallas continued to find easy points inside the paint. A three-ball from Satou Sabally and an open layup by Siegrist gave the Wings a 10-point lead at 14-4. That forced Coach Quinn to call a timeout.

Out of the break, Seattle found Nneka Ogwumike open down low for two. Sabally scored inside. Then was fouled on the next possession on a three-point attempt where she made two out of her three attempts. Seattle continued to trail by double digits despite some nice scores from Magbegor and Ogwumike.

A beautiful spin jumper by Jewell got Loyd on the board. Jordan Horston scored on an offensive rebound putback in mid-air. That cut Dallas’s lead down to six at 22-16. Unfortunately, the Storm finished the first period with multiple costly turnovers. Meanwhile, the Wings pushed their lead back to 10 with another low post basket from McCowan and free throws from Satou made it 26-16. Jewell Loyd scored past Arike in transition and was fouled for the AND1. Ogunbowale found Jaelyn Brown open at the rim for a quick score at the end of the quarter. Dallas led by nine (28-19) at the end of the first.

The Wings ballooned their lead to 14 quickly as Sabally had a strong drive to the rim through contact for an AND1. Then another easy layup inside for Kalani Brown. McCowan scored at the rim and was fouled. A few plays later, Dallas would go up by 21 points after a ridiculous touch pass by Jacey Sheldon resulted in an AND1 opportunity for Jaelyn Brown. That put the Wings up 44-23 around midway through the second quarter.

Seattle responded with a nice run of their own. Jewell scored a nifty scoop shot high off the glass and in. Mercedes Russell scored an AND1 down low. Skylar Diggins-Smith had a reverse layup past multiple defenders. Then got a deflection in the open court as Dallas tried to get out in transition. Skylar was able to deflect the ball to Nneka who immediately moved the ball back up to Diggins-Smith. SDS then drilled the open three-pointer before the defense could get to her. That forced the Dallas Wings to call a timeout as the Storm were on a 10-2 run.

Out of the timeout, Nneka got another steal that led to an open transition layup for Gabby Williams. Maddy Siegrist scored after another offensive rebound and Teaira McCowan sealed her position down low for easy two. Dallas took a commanding 50-37 lead into the locker rooms.

Maddy Siegrist started the 2nd half with a strong down the baseline and was fouled. She made both free throws to put the Wings up 15. Skylar was able to poke the ball away from Sheldon and right to Jewell. Loyd tossed it back over to Skylar who finished at the rim. Jewell then buried a midrange jumper as the Storm cut into Dallas’s lead.

That would continue thanks to some excellent defense from the team and sharp shooting from Diggins-Smith. Gabby made a nifty layup past the defense. SDS made a three-ball on the right wing. Ogwumike scored with a hook shot inside the paint. Skylar made another triple this time in the corner. Then she got a layup past the defense. Seattle’s defense continued to get deflections, rebounds, or steals. Nneka scored again on a drive to the rim and kissed it off the glass. That put the Storm ahead 55-54 as part of a 14-0 run forcing Dallas into another timeout. Skylar scored 10 of those points.

Gabby Williams got a steal and raced down the court for two. Sami Whitcomb checked in and connected on a three-ball. The Storm went on a 19-0 run to take a 60-54 lead. Sevgi Uzun made the Wings’ first field goal of the quarter with just over three minutes to go in the third period. Whitcomb would respond with another three-pointer. Jewell then scored and was fouled for the AND1. Miraculously, Seattle led by 10 points at 66-56 as the third quarter neared completion.

Dallas finally got going late as McCowan was fouled and made both free throws. Arike forced a steal and scored in transition off the glass. Ogunbowale would knock down a three-pointer a couple of plays later. Jewell was fouled as Arike tried to get another steal. At the end of the third quarter, the Storm led 71-63 after outscoring the Wings 34-13.

Teaira McCowan had a big block to start the fourth. Then Jacey Sheldon raced down the other end for two. Arike then was fouled on a runner and finished the free throw for the traditional three-point play. That cut the Storm’s lead down to three at 71-68. Seattle continued to struggle to open the quarter with sloppy passes that resulted in turnovers. Seattle gave up multiple offensive rebounds to Dallas and that led to more points for McCowan down low. With the Storm’s 13-point lead down to one, Coach Quinn called a timeout.

Out of the timeout, Jewell found Mercedes off the pick-and-roll for two. McCowan cut it back down to one again. Seattle struggled to score in the fourth period. They made some turnovers. Got rejected a few times. Or just missed their shots. Seattle did get a nice burst from Gabby Williams as she scored on back-to-back baskets. One with a fast dribble drive to the rim. Then she got a steal by jumping the passing lane and raced down the court for two more. That put the Storm up five at 77-72 midway through the final quarter.

Nneka was able to score again down low. Arike scored in transition and caused Jewell to lose her footing in the process. Mercedes Russell was able to draw a foul and made both free throws. McCowan and Sabally made back-to-back baskets to cut the Storm’s lead to three. Then Arike drilled a three-pointer to tie the game as Dallas used a 7-0 run to tie the game.

With the game on the line in the final 30 seconds, Seattle went to Skylar Diggins-Smith. She used a screen to get past her first defender and drove hard to the rim. 6’7” Teaira McCowan was there to block her shot but there was contact and McCowan was whistled for the foul. It was a close call and Dallas Coach Latricia Trammell challenged it. Fortunately for Seattle, it was unsuccessful and Skylar stepped up to the free throw line. She calmly sank both free throws to put Seattle up two.

Dallas had one more possession to tie or win the game. And they got two chances at it. First Arike took a dribble pull-up maybe 10-15 ft from the basket. That was short but the ball went straight back to her. She had enough time and raced out to the three-point line. Skylar tried to chase her down and block the shot but Arike had enough time to pump-fake her, let SDS go by her, and take a wide-open shot at the buzzer. Luckily, the shot sailed wide left and the Storm won the game 83-81.

Final Box Score

Additional Analysis

Is Skylar Diggins-Smith the Storm’s Best Player?

Skylar Diggins-Smith is certainly the best Storm player since the WNBA resumed play after the Olympic break. Since August, she has averaged 18.9 PPG and 6.2 APG. Skylar has been fantastic. She’s arguably been the main reason the team is picking up wins after their rough start to the 2nd half of the season.

Coach Quinn praised her after this game.

“Sky turned it up first on a defensive end and sparked that run. Her and Gabby just being in passing lanes and in some easy buckets, utilizing their quick hands, some big shots from her as well, playing very efficient, hitting the three and, and gave us a huge boost when we needed it. So again, she's trending in a positive way. Obviously the scoring really helps, but the defensive intensity and the want to is there, and that helps us.” Quinn told the media.

Skylar competes so hard on both ends of the game. You rarely see her take a play off on either end of the basketball court. She’s the only guard that ranks in the Top 15 in blocked shots per game throughout the entire WNBA. She’s also in the Top 10 in steals per game. SDS plays so hard on the defensive end of the floor.

For a good portion of this season, it’s felt like Nneka Ogwumike has been the Storm’s best player this season because she is such a steady hand. She is the team’s second-leading scorer, second in rebounding, number one in steals (2nd overall in the WNBA), and shoots above 50%. Ogwumike has been the team’s most reliable player throughout this entire season.

Of course, Jewell Loyd is still the franchise player with the organization. She’s the player that’s spent 10 year years in Seattle. She’s the one that leads the team in scoring. Jewell is the one that helped win two championships for the team. She has been the face of the franchise since Sue retired. And she’s a big reason why both Nneka and Skylar joined the team this past off-season.

Who do you think is the team’s best player now? It’s a fun debate.

Thoughts on Mercedes Russell’s Future

What happens with Mercedes Russell after this season is going to be really fascinating to watch. If we’re going to be blunt, Russell hasn’t fully lived up to her 3-year $480,000 deal that she signed in 2022. She missed almost the entirety of the 2022 season due to a recurring health issue.

Since then she’s been a solid player but not a huge difference maker. However, one of Russell’s best assets is her ability to be physical with the game’s largest players. She can legitimately hold her own against Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones, A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, Teaira McCowan, etc. That isn’t to say she will match them in points or statistics every game or even any game. But her presence and physicality allow her to at least make it more complicated. Limit them from just backing their way directly to the rim for an automatic two points time and time again.

We specifically saw that in the two games they played against Connecticut at the beginning of the month. In the first game, Russell barely played at all and Seattle couldn’t stop big Brionna Jones. Then Cedes played a lot in that second game and that allowed the Storm to put up some resistance and make things more difficult for Connecticut, ultimately resulting in a Storm victory.

She played great in this game against Dallas. Coach Quinn talked about that afterward.

“Cedes played great minutes today. She had to play the entire second half and fill in those minutes for Ezi. I thought her presence, I thought she had a great block late in (the game). But definitely a presence about her. It's very difficult to guard (Kalani) Brown and McCowan. I thought she did an excellent job and what she was doing offensively, just, being steady. We needed her tremendously tonight and she did a great job.” Coach Quinn said.

We don’t know what the Storm plan to do with Mercedes after this season. They could look to re-sign her but they could also consider other options. Maybe they can find a player in the draft that can fill her role. Or maybe they can sign a different player.

One thing we do know is that even though Ezi Magbegor is an exceptional defensive player, she does struggle with the larger-bodied Centers in the league. I don’t think the Storm can afford to get rid of Cedes and not replace her with a tall, strong, post player. She does hold a lot of value that doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet.

And What About Satou Sabally?

Satou Sabally was a Restricted Free Agent last year but re-signed with the Dallas Wings for another season. Unfortunately, she missed a good portion of this season after suffering a shoulder injury during the pre-Olympic qualifiers. When she re-signed with Dallas, it was just for the 2024 season. Sabally will be an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2025.

Now I’d have to double-check the specifics but I think the Wings might still be able to place the Core “franchise” tag on Satou to prevent her from signing with a different team. There is a high possibility that they do that if they can. But that also doesn’t guarantee that’s where she ends up. Let’s not forget that the Storm placed the Core tag on Natasha Howard during the 2021 off-season before trading her away that same off-season.

The Dallas Wings have been a franchise that has struggled to keep star players long-term. We’ve seen Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage both leave the organization over the past 5-10 years. More recently, we also saw All-Star Allisha Gray request a trade to a different team and she ended up in Atlanta. Sabally might be the next great Wings player that wants out.

For Seattle, they will have to worry about bringing back Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams (at a minimum) during this next upcoming off-season. Both of those players will be Unrestricted Free Agents. I believe Seattle intends to re-sign or extend both players to keep them committed for more seasons with the Storm. But if that doesn’t work out, Satou Sabally is going to be one of the best free agent players in the WNBA that could become available next year.

And there is also the New York Liberty strategy where they just add multiple All-Stars and don’t settle for an either/or situation. Seattle could try to bring back Nneka and Gabby while adding Satou Sabally to the team. Financially, I don’t know how realistic that is but it’s all hypothetical at this point.

Regardless, I’m curious to see if Satou remains in Dallas after this year or looks for a new opportunity instead for 2025.

Up Next

The Storm (23-14) return home to play the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, September 15th at 3:00 PM PDT. Seattle is looking to sweep LA after defeating the Sparks three separate times already 95-79, 89-83, and 90-82.

Notes:
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