Jewell Loyd scored a game high32 points to lead the Storm to a nail-biting 97-91 win over the Phoenix Mercury. The win by the Storm was their third over the Mercury this season. Saturday’s night win was by far the most challenging contest between the two Western Conference.
Seattle combined win total over the Mercury were 14 points in game one and 23 in game two. Mercury All-Stars Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner were determined to avoid being swept at home by the Storm.
DOMINANT PERFORMANCE
Taurasi finished the game with a team-high 28 points, and Griner was right behind her with 22 points and six rebounds. The Storm had their own motives for the game following a disappointing 76-65 home loss to the Dallas Wings. The loss to the Wings snapped a season-high two-game win streak. As a result, both teams came out flying to start the game. The first quarter ended deadlocked at 22.
The back-and-forth scoring between the two teams continued until the 2:28 minute of the second quarter. Mercury forward Shay Paddy collided with Jordan Horston and left the game on a stretcher. The unfortunate incident became a momentum builder for the Mercury, who finished the half with a 7-0 run. As a result, the Mercury went into the halftime break with a 50-41 lead.
STORM GATHER THEMSELVES
A composed Storm returned to the floor after the break, charged up and full of energy.
“ I spoke with the team and let them know that their energy and effort needed to be better “, head coach Noelle Quinn said after the game
. Quinn’s pep talk had a dramatic impact on her team. One and half minutes into the third quarter the Storm used a 22-7 run to take the lead and limit the Mercury to just 15 points in the quarter. The third quarter ended with the Storm holding 68-65 lead.
TIGHT FOURTH
The Storms’ slim lead vanished fifteen seconds into the fourth quarter when Griner completed a three-point play to tie the game at 68 all. The two teams traded baskets and the lead until Loyd’s bank shot three with 1:03 giving the Storm the lead for good. Taurasi answered Loyd’s bank three with a driving layup at 92-89 with 51 seconds left in the game. Thirty seconds later, Sami Whitcomb flicked a three-point shot that beat the shot clock buzzer and sealed the win for the Storm.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL | HIGH PTS | HIGH REB | HIGH AST |
| SEATTLE | 22 | 19 | 27 | 29 | 97 | J. Loyd, 32 | M. Russell, 8 | G. Williams, 6 |
| PHOENIX | 22 | 28 | 15 | 26 | 91 | D. Taurasi, 28 | B. Griner, 6 | S. Sutton, 8 |
GAME NOTES
- Seattle finished with 46 points in the paint, tying for its season-high (last: vs. Chicago 7/22) and marking the third time this season with 40+ points in the paint.
STORM HIGHLIGHTS
· Jewell Loyd scored a game-high 32 points, her league-leading ninth game with 30+ points this season. It was also her 18th career game scoring 30+ points, tying her with Candace Parker for ninth on the WNBA all-time list.
· Gabby Williams contributed on all ends of the court tallying 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks with zero turnovers. She is the first player in WNBA history to post those numbers or better in a game.
· Ezi Magbegor finished with 19 points, including 11 in the third quarter which marked the most she ever scored in a quarter in her career. It was her 22nd game scoring in double-figures this season. She added seven rebounds, four assists and one steal.
· Sami Whitcomb dropped 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, including the game-winning three as time expired on the shot clock with 27.2 seconds left. It marked her 10th game this season with three or more three-pointers made and her fifth time in her last six games. Whitcomb is one of eight WNBA players (including teammate Jewell Loyd) with 10 or more games with three or more three-pointers made.
· Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu contributed nine points, all in the second half, finishing 100% from the field (4-4).
MERCURY HIGHLIGHTS
· Four Mercury players finished in double digits: Diana Taurasi (28), Brittney Griner (22), Sophie Cunningham (13), and Megan Gustafson (13).
RECORDS/MILESTONES
· With her first rebound of the game Sami Whitcomb recorded the 500th rebound of her career, with 267 of those coming with the Storm.
NEXT GAME
The Storm returns to Seattle for a four-game homestand starting with a matinee versus the Connecticut Sun on August 8 at Noon inside Climate Pledge Arena. Fans can watch the game on FOX13+ and NBA TV, and stream on Prime Video (WA).
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