The Seattle Storm were the last and first team to play before and after the WNBA’s All-Star break. A bit of a scheduling quirk that had the Storm perplexed. What soothed the inquiring minds was that in both games the Storm placed five players in double figures A July 7th 106 to 69 road win over the Los Angeles Sparks was followed up with a 83-74 home win over the Dallas Wings.
Yes, the end justifies the means for the Storm who improved their season record to 16-8 after winning their third straight game. The team’s red-hot shooting streak is making for fun and games it is really the Storms defense that is making it difficult for teams to keep up with the Storm.
Having persevered through injuries, illness and the addition of last season’s WNBA scoring leader Tina Charles in recent weeks understanding of each other on both ends of the court has the Storm trending in an upward motion at an optimal time
RED HOT OFFENSE CONTINUES
Against the Wings the Storm showed just explosive it can be when all players are familiar with their spacing and rotations on the offensive end of the court.
Breanna Stewart scored 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting with 11 of those points coming in the third quarter. She added seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Stephanie Talbot came off the bench and scored 14 points including eight in the fourth, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field in the game. Ezi Magbegor and Jewell Loyd added 13 points each with Magbegor nearly recording her third-straight double-double, finishing with eight rebounds while adding two steals and two blocks.
Seattle continued its hot shooting, hitting 47.6% from the field in the game, shooting 45% or better for the third-straight game. That included the Storm making 9-of-12 shots in the third quarter, shooting 75% from the field in a quarter for the third time in the last two games.
GAME NOTES
STORY OF THE GAME.
- After trailing 41-39 at halftime, Seattle opened the third quarter on a 14-4 over the first four minutes and didn’t trail by more than five the rest of the way. The Storm would outscore the Wings 27-17 in the third, connecting 9-of-12 from the field—the third quarter Seattle has shot 75% over its last two games.
KEY STATS OF THE GAME
- The Storm shot 47.6% from the field in the game while holding Dallas to 37.5%. Seattle has shot over 45% in each of its last three games while holding its opponents below 39%.
- Five Seattle players scored in double-figures for the third-straight game and the fifth time this season.
STORM HIGHLIGHTS
- Breanna Stewart poured in a game-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Stewart, who has scored in double-figures in all 22 games she has played in this season, added seven rebounds, three assists a block and a steal. She averaged 25.8 ppg against Dallas in four games this year and has averaged 24.1 ppg vs the Wings over her career—the best average against any opponent.
- Stephanie Talbot came off the bench to score 14 points, marking her fourth game in double-figures this season. She connected on 6-of-8 from the field including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
- Tina Charles once again flirted with a double-double by tallying eleven points and nine rebounds.
- Both Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor scored 13 points each, with Magbegor adding eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks, and Loyd contributing three steals and two rebounds.
WINGS HIGHLIGHTS
- Four Wings players scored in double-digits: Teaira McCowan (18), Arike Ogunbowale (12), Satou Sabally (10) and Tyasha Harris (10).
- Marina Mabrey scored nine points, including a layup at the 9:06 mark in the third quarter for her 1,000th career point.
MILESTONES
- Sue Bird drained a pair of three-pointers to reach 2,447 career field goals and pass Cappie Pondexter for the seventh on the WNBA’s all-time list.
NEXT GAME
The Storm returns to the court on Sunday, June 17, hosting the Indiana Fever for the final time this season. The game tips off at 3 p.m. PT at Climate Pledge Arena, with national coverage on CBS Sports Network. Fans can watch locally on FOX13+ and Prime Video.
