Storm Win Over Mercury 89-77

Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins led Seattle to another victory.

(Phoenix, Arizona) - The Seattle Storm (5-4) picked up their 2nd win in a row and 5th of the season as they defeated the Phoenix Mercury 89-77. Despite being without some of their top players (Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas), the Phoenix Mercury (6-4) entered Saturday night’s game with the third-best record in the entire WNBA, only behind the undefeated titans, the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx.

While Seattle appeared to be a big favorite on paper, both teams fought hard through the first three periods of the game. The Storm used a 24-16 fourth quarter to secure their second win against the Mercury this season. Skylar Diggins scored 22 of her season-high 26 points over the final 20 minutes. She also tied with Gabby Williams for a game-high seven assists.

Skylar didn’t start off hot. Her and Nneka Ogwumike struggled on offense in the first half, with Diggins making just 1-8 FG. Gabby Williams kept the Storm ahead in the first half by scoring 18 of her 21 points over the first two periods. Ogwumike finished the game with 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Erica Wheeler was inserted into the starting lineup in place of Alysha Clark. She finished with nine points on 50% FG shooting and added six rebounds. This was Wheeler’s second start of the season, but the first time Clark was out injured.

The Storm outshot the Phoenix Mercury 49% (32-66 FG) to 44% (29-66 FG). They were also red-hot from the three-point line, connecting on 12-22 FG (55%) from beyond the arc. Seattle had slight advantages in rebounding (31-29), assists (22-21), and steals (4-3). They had a larger advantage in fast break points, where they outscored the Mercury 17-6.

Phoenix Mercury

Satou Sabally continues to lead the Mercury this season, and Saturday’s game was no different. Sabally finished with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds. However, the Storm made her work for it. Sabally finished the game shooting below 40%, connecting on just 7-20 FG (35%). Lexi Held was the only other player to score in double figures with 14 points off the bench.

Former Storm draft pick Kitija Laska added nine points, knocking down 3-5 FG from beyond the three-point arc. I spoke with Coach Noelle Quinn before the game about Laksa, her time in training camp with Seattle in 2021, and what Quinn has seen from her during her first official season in the WNBA. Those quotes will be included in the Coach’s Quotes section of the Part 2 article, coming later.

The Phoenix Mercury outscored the Storm 38-28 inside the paint. And while they committed more turnovers than Seattle, they were able to capitalize on those errors more often by outscoring Seattle 17-16 in that regard. The Mercury’s bench also outscored Seattle 29-16 to keep them in the game until the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

Game Breakdown

Ezi Magbegor collected an offensive rebound and found Gabby Williams open for a three-pointer for the game’s first basket. Monique Akoa Makani drew a foul for two. Erica Wheeler knocked down a triple. Gabby Williams made a beautiful cut to the rim for two. Satou Sabally made a cross-court pass, but it ricocheted off the backboard right to Makani for the lucky two. Ezi Magbegor had a reverse layup. Skylar then found Nneka in transition as the Storm went up 12-6. Satou Sabally scored four quick points. Kalani Brown scored down low to cut Seattle’s lead down to one at 13-12.

After a basket from Magbegor, Lexi Held knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 15-15. Gabby Williams continued her hot start with another strong drive to the rim and then hit a dribble pull-up three-pointer. Sabally was fouled and made a pair of free throws. Seattle’s defense forced a turnover that led to a fast break layup for Malonga. At the end of the first, the Storm led the Mercury 24-19.

Lexi Held hit another three-pointer. Then Murjanatu Musa made a layup and was fouled, but was unable to convert the Free Throw. Musa then split another pair of free throws to give Phoenix their first lead of the game. Makani and Katheryn Westbeld scored in the paint to put the Mercury up three at 29-26. Lexie Brown was fouled at the three-point arc and made all three to tie the game.

Seattle took the lead on an AND1 by Nneka Ogwumike. Diggins then knocked down a three-ball to give the Storm a six-point lead. This forced Coach Nate Tibbetts to call a timeout. Out of the break, the Mercury found Sabally open for the layup. Sabally then hit a three-ball a couple of plays later.

Nneka scored in the paint, but then former Storm draft pick Kitija Laksa drilled a three-ball to cut Seattle’s lead down to three. Seattle countered with another triple from Gabby Williams. Sami Whitcomb hit a nice pull-up jumper. Seattle then turned the ball over on their final possession. That allowed Lexi Held to knock down a jumper at the buzzer to cut the Mercury’s deficit to three. At the midway point, the Storm led the Mercury 46-43.

Kitija Laksa drilled a three-pointer to tie the game to start the 2nd half. Skylar was fouled and made both free throws. Satou Sabally tied the game. Diggins made a Technical Free Throw and a jumper. The Mercury tied it with a Sabally three, and Lexie Held layup. Seattle retook the lead with three-pointers from Gabby and Skylar.

Seattle pushed their lead to eight on a roll to the rim by Malonga. However, the Storm struggled to close out the quarter again, and the Mercury scored baskets from Kalani Brown and Satou Sabally. Seattle led Phoenix 65-61 at the end of the third period.

Lexi Held dribbled uncontested to the rim for the easy layup. Alysha Clark knocked down a three-ball on the other end to put the Storm up five. Musa made a layup. Zia Cooke made a difficult shot from the corner. Sami Whitcomb answered that with her own difficult drive to the rim.

Skylar pushed the Storm’s lead back up to eight after making some free throws and a three-ball right before the shot-clock buzzer. Kitija Laksa drilled another three-ball for Phoenix. After that, Seattle went on a 7-0 run. They got baskets from Ogwumike and two from Diggins, including a three-ball dagger to put the Storm up 12 with 2:25 left.

The Storm pushed their lead to 15 points after an Ogwumike three-ball to secure the victory with under 75 seconds to play. Sami Whitcomb answered with a triple on the other end, but it was far too little, too late. That was the game’s final basket. Seattle secured another win in Commissioner’s Cup play with an 89-77 road win.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (5-4) host the Minnesota Lynx (8-0) on Wednesday, June 11th at 7:00 PM in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena. The winner of this game would have the inside track to represent the Western Conference in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. The Storm are currently 2-1, and the Lynx are 2-0. If the Lynx beat Dallas on Sunday, they will be 3-0 heading into Wednesday’s game against Seattle. However, if the Storm win, they would own the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Lynx. Seattle’s two remaining games would be against the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks. If the Lynx win on Wednesday, they would almost lock up their spot in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts, quotes, and discussion from Saturday’s game against the Phoenix Mercury. It’ll be sent exclusively to paid subscribers tomorrow morning.

Notes:
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