Without Loyd, Storm Fall 85-75 to the Dream

Seattle battled hard but came up short again in Atlanta.

(College Park, Georgia) - It’s a story I’ve written many times this season. The Seattle Storm got down by a large deficit early in the game. They made a furious rally late in the game but ultimately they came up short. That happened again Wednesday evening, this time in Atlanta against the Dream. Seattle trailed by 10 after the first period, 15 points by halftime, and by 24 points in the second half. They fought. They showed heart. They battled back. The Storm cut Atlanta’s lead to single digits in the final minutes but in the end, the Dream won the game 85-75.

This game featured two teams headed in completely different directions. With the Las Vegas Aces’ recent loss to the Dallas Wings, the Atlanta Dream now own the longest current winning streak in the league. With the victory, they have claimed their sixth win in a row. They are a perfect 5-0 in the month of July. The Dream currently own the fifth-best record in the WNBA at 11-8. Meanwhile, this was the Storm’s seventh consecutive defeat. Their record falls to 4-16 on the season which puts them at the very bottom of the WNBA standings.

“We are not where we want to be right now. But I feel like we are progressing with a young team. In a different season with different players. The growth process is tremendous in a lot of ways. It’s a 40-game season, so we have 20 left. We are working very hard. The way in which we are growing and learning, people getting reps. There is some positivity that will happen in the second part of our season.” Coach Quinn stated after the game.

Seattle was without their star and the WNBA’s leading scorer, Jewell Loyd. After scoring 39 points on Tuesday against the Washington Mystics, Loyd was ruled out of this game about 30 minutes before tip-off. Her foot was giving her problems and she wasn’t able to play. With a recent ankle injury and a lingering foot issue, on the second game of a back-to-back, Loyd deserved to sit this one out.

In her place, rookie Jordan Horston proved exactly why fans should be excited about the potential of Seattle’s 2023 first-round pick. Horston finished the game with a new career-high of 23 points. She also had a double-double, her third of the season, with 10 rebounds. Jordan finished with three steals as well displaying her impact on both ends of the court.

Jordan scored her career-high with her mother, Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper, and many of her Lady Vols teammates in attendance.

After the game, I asked Jordan what it meant to have all of them in attendance and put on the performance she did.

“It just goes to show that the Lady Vols; they show up no matter what! They were telling me, right after I got drafted to Seattle that they were getting tickets here. They already had that plan. I was happy to see them and happy I was able to have a good game. It just goes to show you their support.” Horston told me.

Three other Seattle players scored in double figures. Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds. This was the third consecutive start for the rookie and her third straight game scoring in double figures. Fankam Mendjiadeu is showing off her strength down inside the low post. There were multiple times when she was able to bully her way down low or just out-muscled another player for a rebound. Seattle desperately needs more physicality and Dulcy is giving that to them.

Gabby Williams, in just her second game of the season, reached double figures with 10 points. Williams still struggled with her shot (1-5 FG). But she was much more aggressive in this game compared to Tuesday’s contest against the Mystics. She was cutting to the rim with a purpose, moving without the basketball, and forcing defenders to foul her. It was great to see. Gabby finished the game a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.

Lastly, Joyner Holmes gave Seattle a nice lift off the bench scoring 10 points on 50% FG shooting. And it’s a good thing she did because Ezi Magbegor was completely MIA.

“It’s just a next-woman mentality. That’s what we go around in our locker room and say. Our ultimate goal is to win. We’re struggling a little bit right now. But when one woman is down, Ezi didn’t have the best day today. We all have to step up for that. Also, as well with Jewell, we didn’t have Jewell today. We all have that mindset.” Holmes said.

A day after I wrote about how Ezi needed to be more aggressive and look to score more, she finished this game missing all eight of her shots. She was held scoreless for the first time all season. Not exactly what you would want to see, especially with Jewell Loyd out.

“I actually spoke with Ezi before the game. We had a good chat. I understand where she’s at. We’ve been with her now for four years. I told her that there is a wall that she hits sometimes. I just want her to burst through this wall. Have a dialogue about ways in which I can help and be better. Ezi always takes accountability and she says she needs to be better. From my vantage point, it is different. (Previously) we didn’t expect her to be a top player, a leading scorer. And because of that alone, her mindset and her physicality behind that, it changes. She’s growing and learning as well. We’ve talked about our rookies but Ezi is experiencing a new season in which she has to do way more than she has ever done. I have grace for her because it’s different, it’s new. I’m glad we are here where she can get a reset. Just to recharge, get rejuvenated, and refocus. She’s going to be great at the end of our year.” Noelle told me.

This game featured the league’s top two reserve squads. The Atlanta Dream’s bench scores the most points in the WNBA and Seattle’s is second-best. In this game, the Storm’s reserves outscored the Dream’s bench 36-25. Joyner and Gabby each scored 10 points. Sami Whitcomb added nine points and Jade Melbourne contributed with seven.

Seattle had a 17-10 advantage in fast break points. They forced Atlanta into 17 turnovers while only committing 13 themselves. Their assist numbers were also improved. They had a 21-18 advantage in assists and assisted on 21 of 25 field goals; meaning they were playing as a team and using good ball movement. Something I previously mentioned they would be forced to do without Loyd in the lineup.

“I liked that we played hard. I liked that they had to put their starters back into the game at the end because we were getting stops, running, and executing. I liked that we took 26 free throws but when we get to the line we have to actually make our free throws. We have to clean that up and clean up our turnovers a little bit. Without Dulcy in the game, we have to find ways to be efficient rebounders. And not lack in that area. Obviously, the points in the paint. It’s going to continue to be an emphasis, we’ve struggled with that all year. Another positive was our assists today. I thought the ball was moving. A lot to build on but we have a ways to go to be better.” Coach Quinn said about the pros and cons of the game.

Atlanta Dream

All three of Atlanta’s All-Stars played a big impact in their win. Allisha Gray led them in scoring with 19 points. She also added six rebounds and three assists. Cheyenne Parker was magnificent with 18 points on 6-7 FG shooting. She also had six rebounds. And as Joyner Holmes pointed out during the post-game press conference, Parker is playing better than ever before and doing it after giving birth to her daughter just 1 1/2 years ago.

Last year’s rookie of the year, Rhyne Howard finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and was tied for a team-high with five assists.

“They stayed in the realms of their game. They didn’t go outside of what they do every single night. That brings a sense of urgency to their teammates as well. I played against Cheyenne overseas for the last seven months. Just to see her excel after having a kid. It’s amazing for any WNBA player. Very, very happy for them. And happy she’s an All-Star, she deserves it. I’m very excited to see what they do in the future.” Joyner Holmes said about Atlanta’s players.

They dominated points in the paint against Seattle 44-32. They also had a large advantage in rebounding 45-32. Atlanta outshot Seattle 46% (32-69 FG) to 37% (25-67 FG).

Game Breakdown

Cheyenne Parker got deep inside the paint and was fouled by Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu for the AND1. Jordan Horston made a nice spin move to the rim to score the Storm’s first basket. Nia Coffey and Parker hit back-to-back outside jumpers to put Atlanta up 7-2 early.

Ivana Dojkić was able to dribble through two defenders and find Mendjiadeu for the open layup. Jordan then banked in a jumper and Kia Nurse hit a three to put the Storm ahead 9-7 after a 7-0 run.

Basketball is a game of runs people like to say and that was no more evident than in the first quarter of this game. Atlanta started with a 7-2 run. Then Seattle went on a 7-0 run. Atlanta followed that up with a 10-1 run. The Dream extended their lead to 17-10 over the Storm a little more than halfway through the first period. Rhyne Howard scored the majority of the points during that time.

Gabby Williams scored her first points of the season on a beautiful give-and-go cut to the rim. Joyner Holmes made a beautiful pass back to Gabby on the play.

Atlanta finished the quarter on a 19-8 run overall and led Seattle 27-17.

Dojkić made a beautiful full-court pass to Dulcy who finished with a layup at the rim. Horston then made a couple of nice plays. She was able to draw a foul for free throws and then sank a short jumper inside the paint over her smaller defender. When she gets more and more comfortable at the WNBA level she has the potential to be able to dominate in that range due to her height and athleticism over smaller guards/wing players.

Allisha Gray started taking over the game for Atlanta in the second quarter. She tallied eight points in the period including a pair of three-pointers.

Horston was able to get a pass from Ezi near the rim and finished again to put her scoring into double figures.

Cheyenne Parker made some nice plays to end the second quarter. She added six points in the final minutes of the first half.

Rhyne Howard drilled a three-pointer right before the buzzer. That gave Atlanta a 15-point lead at halftime, up 48-33. The Dream outshot Seattle 53% (18-34 FG) to 37% (13-35 FG). They also dominated the glass out-rebounding the Storm 23-13 through the first twenty minutes.

Ezi’s struggles continued to begin the 2nd half. She made a beautiful move to the rim but wasn’t able to finish. Her shot may have been partially blocked. Magbegor missed every shot she took in this game.

Atlanta continued to pour it on as they raced out to a 7-0 run to start the third quarter. Rhyne Howard’s deep jumper put the Dream up 55-33.

Seattle didn’t score through the first four minutes of the third period until Joyner Holmes went aggressive to the rim. Then knocked down a three-pointer on the next possession.

Jordan Horston knocked down a corner three to give her 16 points and cut Atlanta’s lead down to 16 points.

Parker and Howard wouldn’t allow Seattle to get back into the game. Cheyenne scored inside the paint and Rhyne knocked down another three-ball.

Gabby did a good job drawing fouls late in the third period. Williams kept cutting to the rim and was rewarded. Gabby sank all four free throws.

Monique Billings made some strong moves to the hoop in the third. Atlanta led 69-49 at the end of the period.

Dulcy was able to draw a foul late in the shot clock. Unfortunately, Fankam Mendjiadeu missed four out of her five free throws in this game.

Williams also was strong driving to the rim and forcing contact. Something we didn’t see much of in her first game.

Horston hit two more three-pointers in the final frame. Seattle scored on a layup from Mendjiadeu, a pair of free throws from Gabby Williams, and a three-ball from Sami Whitcomb. The Storm used a 16-4 run to claw back into the game and cut the deficit to single digits at 83-75. Overall, they outscored Atlanta 26-16 in the 4th quarter.

On the next possession, Seattle nearly forced a steal. They got some deflections but the ball ended up in the hands of a Dream player. Cheyenne Parker was able to finish at the rim one last time for the game’s final score of 85-75.

Additional Analysis

Building for the Future

This season really is all about development. The Storm have rostered four rookies on the team. All four of them have shown positive moments throughout the first half of this season. Three out of the four rookies have started multiple games this year. The one that hasn’t, Jade Melbourne, has had two impressive games this week.

Both Jordan Horston and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, the team’s first and second-round draft picks from the 2023 WNBA Draft, have produced multiple games with double-doubles of points and rebounds.

Ivana Dojkić showed great promise during the month of June where she scored in double figures six times in an eight-game span. Despite her recent struggles in the month of July, she’s still the Storm’s third-leading scorer at 8.2 PPG. Dojkić also leads all WNBA rookies in assists at nearly 3.5 APG.

After the game in Atlanta, I spoke with Coach Quinn about the growth and development of the rookies.

“They been bright spots and have had a lot of bright moments, especially in our last few games. Dulcy starting. Jordan getting a ton of minutes. Jade getting some reps. That will help us in the second half of our season because now they understand pace, physicality, how to work, and what we need from them. The first part of this season has just been them coming into something new. But not just sitting back, watching, and learning. They’ve been thrown into the fire very early. Because we have gone through numerous amount of situations in games. Being down, being up, getting blown out, all of these things. These reps will help these young players this season and in the long run because they will know now. They will know what they can do. They’ll know our expectations as coaches. They’ll know how to find their rhythm and be in their role for us to have some sort of success.” Coach Quinn answered.

I also received Jordan Horston’s feedback on their growth.

“I feel like from Day one, we came in with the mindset that we have to stay hungry. It’s not going to be easy. We have to put the work in. Like Joyner said, next woman up! We knew we were going to be down, and everyone stepped up. Continue and grow from this and get better.” Jordan said.

“I’m putting in the work. Every day, I’m getting shots up. It’s frustrated me when I’ve put the work in and I wasn’t seeing results. But it’s not like I ever stopped. I continued to put the work in until I see the results.” She continued.

“I try to get my feet in the paint. Get downhill first and then let the three-ball come to me. That’s what happened today.” Horston added.

I also spoke with Joyner Holmes about what she’s seen out of rookie Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu.

“Dulcy has been playing great the last three games. Just continuing to watch her excel. She puts in the work on and off the court. The last person off the floor every day. You’re able to see that in the way she plays.” Joyner said.

And how the team wants to keep improving.

“Lately our motto has been ‘Progress over perfection’. Even with our turnovers today, we were way lower than what we’ve normally been. We have good points that we are reaching. We just have to put it all together and accumulate a win as one. This break is going to be really crucial for everybody. Everybody has to come back with the same mindset. I know for a fact that we all want to win. But it’s about putting the pieces together for four quarters and right now we haven’t been able to do that.” Holmes replied.

This is a season for growth. Not just for the four rookies but for other younger players like Ezi Magbegor and Joyner Holmes. And it was even for players that are no longer on the team like Arella Guirantes and Kaila Charles.

Rookie Comparisons

I would love to spend a lot more time on this topic but I’ll have to save it for a future feature article. But I just wanted to point out the importance of drafting well. I give a lot of credit to the Seattle Storm organization because they have generally drafted very well over the past 10 years.

And it should be noted that the Atlanta Dream were one of THREE WNBA teams that had multiple draft picks in the first round of the 2023 WNBA Draft ahead of the Seattle Storm. Meaning they had multiple chances to select Jordan Horston and opted for other players instead.

In Atlanta’s case, they selected Haley Jones 6th and Laeticia Amihere 8th overall before Seattle took Jordan Horston with the 9th selection.

While Jordan hasn’t set the world on fire, she’s flashed her potential multiple times already. And this is just her rookie season, where she’s also missed multiple games with a shoulder injury and it’s something she’s continued to battle through.

Horston has scored in double figures six times this season, with her career-high being 23 points. She’s rebounded in double figures four times this year and has three double-doubles. Overall, she’s averaging 7.6 PPG and 5.8 RPG.

Jones by comparison has scored in double figures just three times this season. She has not had any double-doubles or games where she’s rebounded 10 or more. Her career-high is 13 points. Haley does distribute the ball a little better so far. She is averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 3.2 APG.

Next up, is Laeticia Amihere. To be fair to Amihere she isn’t playing nearly as much as the other two players but she’s still getting nearly 10 MPG. She is averaging 4.0 PPG and 1.3 RPG. Laeticia has not scored in double figures yet. Her career-high is nine points.

It’s fun to look at how the other rookies are performing. Especially, the ones that were selected ahead of Jordan. And for the other WNBA teams that had multiple chances to take her and decided to pass on her. The Storm organization and front office can be thrilled that they did.

Coach Tanisha Wright

I’m really happy for Tanisha Wright and her success in Atlanta. They challenged for a playoff spot last season before eventually falling short of that goal. This year, Atlanta has a winning record; they have wins against New York, Connecticut, and Washington this season showing that they can compete with the league’s best teams.

Unless they have a major collapse, they should reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season. Atlanta might even push for home-court advantage in the first round.

With Tanisha being such an important piece of the Seattle Storm legacy, I wanted to get some words from Coach Noelle Quinn on the coaching job that Wright has done.

“She’s amazing! She’s attacking her coaching job as she has attacked her playing career; just with tenacity and working extremely hard. Very focused. They have a good roster. Adding Allisha Gray into the mix. How they space and move the ball. I think that she’s really done a great job of building culture and holding everyone accountable too. How to set the tone to win a championship is the way in which she works. She’s the ultimate example of that and I’m always super happy for T.” Quinn told me.

Up Next

A much-needed break. The Storm (4-16) will host the Las Vegas Aces (19-2) on Thursday, July 20th at 7:00 PM in Seattle.

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