Jewell Loyd scored a team-high 24 points 23 of which came in the first half and Ezi Magbegor celebrated her 24th birthday in superstar fashion. Magbegor scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked three shots, and snagged two assists. The 81-71 win over the Mercury completed the season sweep for the Storm who won all four games against their Western Conference.
HARD FOUGHT VICTORY
After cruising for the first three and half quarters of the game against the Phoenix Mercury the Storm offense came to a complete halt midway in the third quarter with the Storm holding on to a 57-44 lead. A 13-0 run by the Mercury with three half minutes left in the third quarter erased the Storm’s lead. The scoring spree by the Mercury tied the game at 57all with just over two minutes left in the quarter.
STORM REGAIN COMPOSURE
A determined Storm team quickly steamed the tide with a 6-0 run to end the quarter. The Storm scored the first seven points of the quarter and extended its lead to 70-57 on a lay-up by Magbegor. A balanced effort down the stretch saw the Storm hang on for its fourth consecutive win over the Mercury.
STORY OF THE GAME
- Seattle led through much of the first half and held a 16-point lead at the half only to see a rough third quarter by the Storm and a late Mercury tied the game at 57-57. But Seattle responded with a 13-0 run of its own to stretch the lead back to double figures and cruised the rest of the way for the 81-71 win.
- Seattle swept the season series with Phoenix (4-0) for just the third time in franchise history and claimed its second-straight home win. With today’s victory, the Storm has now won five of its last seven contests.
KEY STATS OF THE GAME
- Seattle shot 51.2% (32-of-62) from the field, its second-best shooting game of the season, including the Storm’s best first half from the floor at 62.5% (20-of-32). It was the Storm’s first game shooting 60%+ from the field in the first half this season.
- Seattle’s bench came in strong, outscoring the Mercury’s 28-7.
- All nine Storm players who saw the court scored at least two points, with eight recording at least one rebound.
STORM HIGHLIGHTS
· Jewell Loyd scored a team-high 24 points, 23 of them in the first half, marking the sixth time in her career with 20 or more points in the first half of a game and the fourth time this season. Loyd also contributed five rebounds and two steals.
· Ezi Magbegor celebrated her 24th birthday by scoring 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor—the third-most points scored by a Storm player on their birthday in franchise history. It was her 25th game in double-digits this season, and the 54th of her career. Magbegor added seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
· Kia Nurse scored 10 points off the bench to get back in double-figure scoring for the first time since July 6, while tallying five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
· Mercedes Russell led the team in rebounds with 10, adding eight points, dishing out one assist and one block.
MERCURY HIGHLIGHTS
· Three Mercury players scored in double figures: Sophie Cunningham (25), Moriah Jefferson (14), and Brittney Griner (12).
RECORDS/MILESTONES
· Finishing with two baskets from beyond the arc, Sami Whitcomb extended her streak of consecutive games making one of more three-pointers to 21, the third-longest active streak in the WNBA.
NEXT GAME
The Storm wraps up its homestand on Friday, August 18 versus the Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m. PT at Climate Pledge Arena. Fan can watch the game on ION.
