Storm Win Wild West Shootout 109-103 in Dallas

Jewell Loyd scored a career-high 39 points in Seattle's victory.

(Arlington, Texas) - Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale put on an absolute show! Both Seattle and Dallas battled back and forth throughout the game which ended in a thrilling 109-103 victory for the Storm.

“I’m super proud of our group for our execution today. And staying the course through the ups and downs of the game. We are growing in a lot of ways. I thought Mercedes had great contributions with her rebounding and her play-making. We were in some tough situations in this game. What we’ve gone through up to this point has really helped us get through. I’m just happy to secure another road win. Going 2-1 on the road is really good for this group.” Coach Quinn said in her opening statement after the game.

All five starters scored in double figures for the Storm. Seven players total tallied eight points or more for Seattle. Loyd led the way scoring a new career-high 39 points on a very efficient night of shooting 57% (12-21 FG). Jewell was even better from beyond the arc connecting on 58% (7-12 FG). She also added five rebounds and five assists.

“If I make two more free throws I’ll be happy. I keep missing free throws and it’s bad. I’m frustrated.” Loyd said half-joking after the game.

“It’s bad but you still shot 80%. Let’s be real, it was really good! You only needed one more.” Mercedes Russell chimed in.

I asked Jewell after the game if she can appreciate these types of performances that she’s putting forth or if she is more focused on the missed free throws and how she could be better.

“Oh, I definitely could be better! 100%. I had way too many turnovers, I’m missing free throws. That has to get cleaned up for sure. But at the same time, we just want to win. That’s the biggest thing. It’s not easy to play here. To go up against Arike, it’s the matchups. Everyone came in and performed and did their jobs. I have a standard that I want to play at and we have a standard that we want to play at and today we showed that.” Loyd told me.

Loyd wasn’t the only player to make a large impact. Far from it. Ezi Magbegor scored 15 points, pulled down five rebounds, and had four blocked shots. More impressive was the fact that Magbegor knocked down all four of her three-point attempts. Per Across the Timeline and hat tip to ENFP_Hoops, Ezi became just the second player in WNBA history to go a perfect 4-4 from the three-point line and have at least four blocks in a single game. Emma Meesseman was the only other player to achieve this, coincidentally, also against the Dallas Wings in August of 2019.

Mercedes Russell was reinserted back into the starting lineup to combat the size of Dallas’s frontcourt. In turn, she had her best game of the season. Russell finished with a double-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. She also played a large role for the Storm during the third quarter when Loyd was held scoreless.

I asked Mercedes about being reinserted back into the starting lineup.

“We’ve been switching it up to try and find out what works best for us. 10 games in, we’ve been switching up the lineup and finding out what’s going to work best for us in the defensive and the offensive end. I had the opportunity to start this game. I just wanted to come in and provide energy. I know they have great size on their team with Kalani, Natasha Howard, Satou, and Awak. They are pretty deep and pretty big. I just wanted to come in and use my presence as much as I can. Help my teammates and help Jewell get a 40-piece.” Russell told me.

“I don’t think people understand how great Cedes is. She really is a point guard on the floor. Her understanding of the game of basketball is just crazy. I see this all the time. I’m so happy for her and proud of her because I know she’s been working her butt off just to get back and feel like herself. Trust me, Cedes is the real deal. I love playing with her. With her assists, she could have had a triple-double in my opinion. She’s our Nikola Jokić over here!” Loyd added.

Ivana Dojkić continues to be sensational in the starting lineup. She replaced Yvonne Turner three games ago. Since then she has given Seattle a big boost. Dojkić scored 14 points and distributed a game-high seven assists. She has scored double figures in four straight games. Her ability to score has been on full display. She’s been an excellent three-point shooter making 42% of her shots from long distance. Ivana has also been able to get downhill driving and to the rim. That aggressiveness resulted in her getting to the foul line for nine free throws where she knocked down seven.

I spoke with Coach Quinn after the game on if Ivana’s production since entering the starting lineup is even more than she could have expected this soon.

“Yes. Understanding who she is as a player in Europe. Knowing she’s had to have an adjustment period here in the W. I think she’s done a great job! She has a confidence about herself, a poise about herself, and an understanding of the game at a high level. I’ll say it again, she missed a week of training camp. I think gaining another week of practice, and experience, and getting into the lineup where we are depending on her to be her best self. We see her taking the reins. Taking the opportunity and maximizing it. She’s confident while we’re communicating during the game. Her mind is constantly thinking about how to set up our players. The other thing I love is her defensive effort. She doesn’t care if she’s matched up against Arike or other guards. She’s very confident. Yes, I’m pleasantly surprised but now it’s expected.” Coach Quinn told me.

Kia Nurse added 11 points. While Jordan Horston and Sami Whitcomb both contributed with eight points each off the bench.

Seattle had their best shooting game of the season. They knocked down 51% (33-65 FG) of their shots and 50% (17-34 FG) from the three-point line. The 17 triples were seven more than Dallas (+21). The Storm also made 81% of their Free Throw attempts connecting on 26-32 (+9 over Dallas). Their bench edged Dallas 18-15.

Dallas Wings

Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with a new career-high of 41 points. She was also very efficient making 54% (12-24 FG) of her shots. Similar to Loyd, she also made seven three-pointers in the game.

I asked Jewell to talk about Arike’s performance after the game.

“See, she made her free throws! (a perfect 8-8) That was the difference. She’s a great scorer. We know that. She’s a high-volume shooter. For us, it was try to contain her. We let her get loose in the 2nd half. Great scorers are going to find ways to score. That’s on us. At the end of the day, we were able to get stops down the stretch. She missed a couple for us late. I have a lot of respect for her and know how great she is as a scorer. It’s really important for us to win these games when she has a career-high.” Loyd stated.

Natasha Howard finished the game with an impressive double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. The former Defensive Player of the Year also had three steals and a blocked shot.

Satou Sabally continues her strong campaign this season adding 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. And Crystal Dangerfield, returning from injury, scored all 15 bench points for the Wings on 60% FG shooting.

Dallas dominated inside the paint outscoring the Storm 50-22. They also forced Seattle into 15 turnovers and scored 27 points off those mistakes (+8). The Wings had a small edge in rebounds (30-29), assists (23-22), and fast break points (11-7).

Game Breakdown

Kia Nurse knocked down a three-pointer to score the game’s first basket. However, Arike Ogunbowale answered right back with a three of her own. Jewell Loyd buried a three-ball of her own.

Satou Sabally then scored four straight points including drawing a foul. That put the Wings up one. Loyd knocked down another triple and then Ivana Dojkić got out in transition and past all the defenders for the easy layup.

Ogunbowale had another filthy three-pointer juking rookie Jade Melbourne out of her shoes in the process. Mercedes Russell made a couple of nice plays to recover some loose balls. She was able to draw a foul on an offensive rebound and recover another ball and made a nice jump hook in the paint.

The two teams swapped leads several times throughout the first period. No team led by more than four points.

Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu checked in and was able to collect an offensive rebounding immediately. She was fouled right after pulling down the rebound and knocked down both free throws.

Sabally scored again in the paint for Dallas. Satou and Arike combined for 16 of the Wings' 22 points in the opening frame.

Loyd was able to tip in a Sami Whitcomb three-pointer that rimmed out at the buzzer to end the first period. Loyd scored 13 points in the quarter. Seattle led 26-22 after one.

Sabally was able to score an AND1 in the paint to cut Seattle’s lead to one. Jordan Horston checked in and immediately made a nice move with a dribble pull-up near the foul line. Kia Nurse then hit her second triple of the game to give Seattle a five-point lead at 31-26.

Dojkić got the defensive rebound and immediately pushed the ball in transition. She had a 3-on-1 advantage with Jewell on her left and Jordan on her right. Ivana passed the ball to Jewell who knocked down her fourth three-pointer of the first half. That put Seattle up six at 34-28 and gave Loyd 16 points.

Ogunbowale managed to draw a shooting foul on a three-point attempt. She knocked down all three free throws. Then Crystal Dangerfield buried a triple on the Wings’ next possession to tie the game at 34-34. The 6-0 run by Dallas forced Coach Noelle Quinn to call a timeout and settle her team down.

After Coach Quinn’s timeout, the Storm went on a 20-5 run before Dallas ended the second period on an 8-1 run. Seattle led by as many as 15 points in the first half.

Seattle’s run included something I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed in a basketball game before. A seven-point possession! Jewell knocked down a three and as she landed Arike put her feet under Loyd’s. There has been a greater emphasis in the WNBA/NBA to discourage players from recklessly closing out where the shooter doesn’t have space to land. In turn, Ogunbowale was whistled for a Flagrant foul. Since Loyd had made the triple, she got two free throw attempts for one point. Loyd missed the first but got a second free throw and made that one. That gave the Storm four points but because it was a Flagrant they maintained possession of the ball. During that same possession, Ivana Dojkić knocked down a three-ball of her own to give the Storm an incredible seven-point possession!

At the midway point, the Storm led by eight points at 55-47. Jewell led all scorers with 25 points. Satou Sabally led the Wings with 15 points.

Dangerfield scored first. Then Natasha Howard scored four straight points. In between Howard’s baskets, Loyd was able to find Mercedes Russell through the triple team. Loyd found Russell again for another basket in the paint.

Arike drove hard into the lane and converted the layup while getting fouled. She knocked down the free throw to complete the AND1. Dallas then forced Seattle into another turnover and Ogunbowale finished with another AND1 to give the Wings their first lead since the first period at 63-62.

With Jewell Loyd being held scoreless in the third period, both Mercedes Russell and Ivana Dojkić picked up the slack. They combined for 14 of the team’s 19 points in the quarter. This helped Seattle retake the lead at 70-65.

Not to be outdone, Satou Sabally knocked down a three-pointer and was fouled by Loyd. She finished the four-point play. Then Satou got out in transition and finished at the rim past Dojkić to give the Wings the lead back at 71-70. Mercedes Russell and Natasha Howard swapped baskets in the low post.

Arike raced down the lane to score another layup shortly before the clock struck zero to end the third quarter. Dallas carried a 75-74 lead into the final frame.

Ezi tracked down an offensive rebound and found Sami Whitcomb for a three-pointer to help Seattle regain the lead. Magbegor then drove past Kalani Brown and finished at the rim while being fouled. Ezi then found Whitcomb again for another three-pointer and Sami held her hand up with a little taunt after burying her second triple in a row.

Ogunbowale knocked down another filthy three-pointer on a step-back. But then she missed her next attempt. Dojkić got the ball and pushed the ball in transition. She found fellow rookie Jordan Horston who had raced down the court. Horston finished at the rim to put the Storm back up seven points at 87-80.

Dallas went on a 9-3 run to cut Seattle’s lead down to one point at 90-89. Howard scored four points in the paint during that run and Arike added another three.

Magbegor made her 4th three-pointer of the game in the corner. Ogunbowale hit another three-pointer to cut Seattle’s lead back down to three. Loyd then responded with another mid-range jumper.

With Seattle leading 97-93, Loyd made four straight free throws. Ogunbowale drove into the lane for another layup on the other end. Jewell then hit a dagger three to put the Storm up nine at 104-95 with one minute left to play.

The Wings continued to battle back. A quick 5-0 run from Dangerfield and Ogunbowale cut the Storm’s lead back down to four with 30 seconds remaining. At this point, the game came down to free throws and the Storm made five of six in the final 30 seconds. Arike hit one last three but it was too little, too late.

Seattle outscored Dallas 35-28 in the 4th period. Loyd led the Storm with 14 points in the quarter. Ogunbowale countered with 19 points over the game’s final ten minutes. The Seattle Storm had won the game 109-103 in the wild, wild, west encounter.

Additional Analysis

Jewell Loyd is HER

There is a popular saying with today’s younger generation that is “I am HIM” or “He’s HIM”. It’s essentially a newer phrase for “I’m the Man!”. With that in mind, I can safely say that “Jewell Loyd is HER”.

We have officially reached the quarter mark (25%) of the season. Loyd is averaging a career-high 25.4 PPG. That’s not only a career-best but it also leads the entire league. She’s also knocking down 40% of her three-point attempts. Her rebounding and assist numbers per game are some of the best she’s ever had.

While the team’s success hasn’t been as good as one could hope. Loyd has been a tremendous leader this season as the team’s roster went through a major overhaul. She’s done a very admirable job taking over as the face of the franchise after Sue Bird’s retirement.

If there were doubts or concerns that Loyd wouldn’t be able to be the #1 option she has answered those questions. Jewell has proven to be one of the WNBA’s greatest talents this season.

We don’t know what the future holds for Loyd and the Storm after this season. But I certainly believe her performance this year has proven she can lead a franchise into its next great era.

Growth From the Team

The Storm went on this three-game road trip and won two out of the three games. Despite losing big to the Las Vegas Aces, they picked up impressive wins in Phoenix and in Dallas. Both of those teams have good home crowds.

After starting the season 0-4, the Storm have gone 3-3 over their last six games. They’re playing .500 basketball since June 6th.

For a team that carries four rookies and several new players the most important thing to look for is growth. Earning three wins in their last six games is certainly a major improvement from what we saw to begin the season.

Outside of their lopsided defeats to the Aces, the Storm have not lost a game by double digits. Even in their losses, the team has generally been very competitive.

Coach Quinn spoke after the game about the team’s growth.

“I think as a group we are just trying to get better every single day. Learning from every game, every practice, and every film session. We are hitting a time in the year where we are seeing things come together in a way where we want to continue to grow. I thought the ball was distributed well. Our activity level and our spacing were better. We shot the ball at an efficient rate and we shared the ball. We talk about it all the time, getting to the second side. Moving the ball and finding open teammates. Letting your offense be dictated by our defense. Ezi hitting threes, that’s a sign of what she’s doing with her individual work. EV (Ivana) coming in and being efficient. All of those things matter when we are trying to win games. We have to take the load off of Jewell and I thought we did a better job today.” Quinn stated.

On the team’s 2-1 road trip.

“It’s positive. We’re going to keep plugging away brick by brick. Trying to get better every single day. To go 2-1 on this road trip is great for our group. To gain some momentum and some positive success as we continue to hone in and focus on the things that will help us be competitive, be in games, and get wins. I’ll take 109 points, I know we gave up 103, but to score that on the road and finish off the road trip. We are trending in a good way and we’re just going to stay the course.” Coach added.

Grow the League

It’s been talked about a lot over the years. Women’s sports receive only around 5% of all media coverage. Frankly, it is a huge reason why I am here writing this article and sending it out to the most dedicated Seattle Storm/WNBA fans.

What I’m really happy with is the growth I’ve seen from a media and TV perspective with the WNBA during the (nearly) ten years I’ve been covering the Storm. It has grown tremendously. Every year it seems like the big TV companies are posting that viewership numbers are going up, up, and up!

Even with local coverage, I remember during the seasons the team was playing up in Everett; in some of those games, it would literally be just me and Percy Allen covering the team. Today, we have two rows of media tables and they are almost always full.

I’ve also seen a lot of different groups, companies, and reporters continue to grow their online presence with their coverage of the WNBA and women’s basketball.

With all that said, in my eyes, the most important thing that can help grow the WNBA is to just make the games widely available to as many people as possible. That means TV companies like ESPN, ABC, CBS, etc. need to air more and more games.

This season the WNBA announced a new broadcast deal with ION television to put games on nationally every Friday night. That is a great step for the league and for its potential to grow.

Today’s game against the Dallas Wings was broadcasted nationally on CBS. Not the CBS Sports Network channel which I somehow don’t get despite paying $200/month with Xfinity.

No, this game was on the main CBS. And with that, the Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings put on an absolute show. This was a fantastic WNBA game! Both teams scored over 100 points. Two superstar players in Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale played out of their minds, each scoring career-highs and combining to score 80 points. Per Elias Sports, it was the most combined points that two opposing players had in a single game that ended in regulation in WNBA history.

The more the WNBA can get their product to be on these main channels that everyone has the larger they will be able to grow their audience. Larger audiences equal more fans, more fans equal more revenue, and more revenue will result in the league expanding and players getting paid more.

The WNBA’s TV distribution media rights will be up within the next couple of years. This will be absolutely key in creating the path forward for league expansion and even higher pay.

If audiences are treated to more and more games like this. The WNBA will only continue to grow from here. Put women’s basketball on TV where everyone can view them and watch this league continue to bloom!

I spoke with Mercedes and Coach Quinn about this after the game.

“Just the attention that we get and the support we’ve got so far this season, it’s obviously been increasing. But we clearly need more. The turnout they had today was a great crowd. Playing in an arena like that was really fun because the energy was coming from the fans. There was really high energy on both ends of the floor.” Russell stated.

“It just brings more attention, more fans, more engagement. Similar to what’s happened in the men’s game with Steph Curry and his ability to make shots. With how the game has adjusted with the three-point shooting. Lineups are adjusting. I think that’s the trend of our game as well. In totality, I think it’s just great for our sport. To get eyes on these high-level athletes that work their butts off. They study their craft and perform at a level that is tough to do consistently. Hopefully, more eyes on these top players and teams in this league.” Quinn told the media.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (3-7) return home from a successful 2-1 road trip. Next up, they will host the Connecticut Sun (8-3) on Tuesday, June 20th at 7:00 PM at Climate Pledge Arena.

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