Storm rally falls short in 95-9 1 loss to Dallas Wings

The Storm  bolted out to a quick 8-0 lead to bring life and energy to the crowd.  Blown assignments miscommunication and bad closeouts on the defensive end by the Storm allowed the  Wings to quickly get back in the contest.  The defensive mishaps continued and the Wings streaked to a17-0 run and ended the quarter with a 30-21 lead. A  concerted effort to play defense in the second quarter saw the Storm allow the Wings just 22 points in the quarter. What was more damaging for the Storm was a lack of execution on the offensive end. The Wings went into the halftime break with a 52 to 41 lead.

LEARNING LESSON

After making some halftime adjustments the Storm were able to climb back into the game and outscore the Wings in the third quarter. The Storm entered the fourth quarter trailing 73-64. An 11-2 run late in the game saw the Storm cut the deficit to just two points. Back-to-back offensive fouls by the Wings saw the Storm with the ball down 91-93  without Jewel Loyd and just 29 seconds left in the game.  The Storm’s top scorer suffered a minor injury when she draw the Wing’s second offensive foul to give possession to the  Storm. A shot clock violation saw the Storm give the ball back to the Wings who sealed the victory on a  Satou  Sabally basket.

GAME NOTES

KEY STATS OF THE GAME

• Kia Nurse drained six three-pointers, marking the third time in her career with 6+ three-pointers in a game. She also becomes the sixth player in Storm history to hit six or more three-pointers in a game.
• The Storm improved its shooting percentage in each quarter, going from 31.6% in the first quarter to 52.6% in the fourth.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

• Jewell Loyd finished the game with 30 points, marking the 10th time in her career she has scored 30+ and the second time in her last three regular-season games dating back to last year. Loyd added a career-high three blocks along with three assists, two rebounds and three three-pointers.
• Ezi Magbegor tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds, logging the Storm’s first double-double of the season and the fourth of her career. She connected on 6-of-9 from the field and had a pair of blocks in the contest.
• Nurse erupted for 20 points, 18 of those from beyond the arc on 6-of-11, while adding three rebounds, one assist and one steal. It was Nurse’s
• Sami Whitcomb came off the bench to add key minutes at the point, scoring eight points and adding four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

WINGS HIGHLIGHTS

• Arike Ogunbowale scored 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting, adding six assists and four rebounds to pace Dallas.
• Satou Sabally notched a double-double, collecting 17 points and 10 rebounds. Her offensive rebound and putback with 4.8 seconds left clinched the victory for the Wings.

RECORDS AND MILESTONE

• Whitcomb collected her 150^th career steal in the game.