By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Storm aggressiveness overwhelms Mercury in 83-69 win

Aggression, pace, and energy were the keys to the Storm playing a complete game in its  83-69 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Storm head coach Noelle Quinn inserted Ivana  Dojkic into the starting lineup to  join rookie Jordan Horston. Horston earned her first start in Sunday’s loss to the Mystic.  The two rookies were joined by Ezi Magbegor,  Jewel Loyd, and  Kia Nurse.  

Going into the game the Storm was in the WNBA in first-quarter points while the Mercury were the first. The need for a fast start was a given if the Storm were to have any chance against the Mercury.

EARLY TONE

Aggressive interior defense by Magbegor kept the Mercury’s Brittney Griner away from the basket and perimeter defense by Nurse and Loyd kept the Mercury’s other hall-of-fame player Diana  Taurasi at bay.  Taurasi was held scoreless in the game.   Good defense and close out on missed shots led to transition baskets and the Storm led 23-18 after the first quarter. Grinner suffered a disclosed foot injury in the first quarter and never returned. With the best shot blocker in league history on the bench the Storm reeled off a 12-0 run to begin the second quarter and stretch the lead to 17 points.  

The Mercury cut the deficit to 11 points several times but was never able to get closer due to the lethal transition game by the Storm. The pace of the game played right into the hot shooting hands of Storm guard Sami  Whitcomb who led the team with 18 points. Whitcomb was 6-10 from the three-point line . As a result of her hot shooting, the Storm led  50-36 at the break

CONSISTENT SCORING AND BALL MOVEMENT

An 8-0  run minutes into the third quarter saw the  Storm stretch the lead to  17 points and never look back.  Consistent ball movement,  clear communication, and sheer determination by the Storm on both ends of the court secured their most complete win of the season. The balanced scoring attack was the key for the Storm.Magbegor( 9pts) and Nurse ( 8pts ) were the only starters who did not score in double figures.  Horston recorded a  double pulling down 14 rebounds and chipping in 13 points. Dojkic played her part with 14 points.

POST-GAME STATS AND NOTES

KEY STATS OF THE GAME

  • Seattle continued its strong defensive play, holding its opponent under 75 points for the fourth-straight game. The Storm held Phoenix to just 69 points—tied for its fewest this season—and limited future Hall of Famers Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner to a combined two points.
  • Seattle’s 50 first-half points were its most this year and the 36 points allowed were its fewest surrendered.
  • The Storm recorded a season-high 21 assists on 28 made baskets.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Sami Whitcomb came off the bench igniting the Storm offense with 18 points on 6-of-10 from the three-point line, a season high after connecting on just six total in the first six games of the year.
  • Jordan Horston logged her first career double-double, tallying 13 points and 14 rebounds, becoming the second Storm rookie to record 13+ points and 14+ rebounds (Breanna Stewart, 2x).
  • Jewell Loyd scored 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while adding four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. She continues to lead the WNBA in scoring at 24.7 ppg.
  • Storm “rookie” Ivana Dojkić made her first start in the league count, scoring a season-high 14 points while adding four assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block.
  • Ezi Magbegor scored nine points and added six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks, extending her franchise-record streak of games with 3+ blocks to six. It’s tied for the second-longest streak in the WNBA since 2015 and three shy of Lisa Leslie’s run of nine-straight in 2008.

MERCURY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Sophie Cunningham led the charge for Phoenix with 21 points, four rebounds, one assist and a steal.

MILESTONES

  • Whitcomb’s fifth three-pointer of the night was her 300th of her career becoming just the 54th player in WNBA history and 11th-fastest to reach 300 made threes all-time.

NEXT GAME

The Storm continues its three-game road trip, facing the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. The game can be seen on FOX 13, Amazon Prime Video (WA) and on WNBA League Pass.

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