Seattle Storm aggression on both end of the court stretches win streak to four game

The Storm’s defensive aggression leads to quick, quick, aggressive transition baskets.  In the team’s Thursday night  103-88 victory win at  Indiana the  Storm’s core four of  Jewell Loyd  Skylar  Diggins-Smith,  Nneka Ogwumike, and Ezi  Magbegor combined for 72 points, 17 rebounds, 24 assists, five steals, and seven blocked shots.

Loyd led the fantastic four with 22 points and six assists,  Diggins-Smith had nine assists to her 18 points, and Ogwumike chipped in 17, and grabbed six rebounds, and six assists. Defensive anchor Magbegor hit for 15 points and snagged eight rebounds and four show-stopping blockings.   Despite their scoring prowess, every member of the Core Four understands that tough defense will lead to easy baskets on the offensive end.

“ Everyone on this team wants to help each other on defense and we take great pride in our defensive efforts”, Loyd said during her post-game interview. “ We don’t like getting scored  on and  we believe in each other.”

As for the unselfishness of the team? The team’s 29 assists prove that the team understands the importance of not good defense but fluid ball movement that creates open spaces for the shooters.

“ It’s been a point of emphasis from coach Noelle Quinn Ogwumike”, said after the game.“ We know everyone can score but  I think the most efficient way for us to win a lot of games is to move the ball around and find the open person. It’s part of our offense and we don’t overthink stuff on offense “, Ogwumike added.

DEFENSE WINS THE GAME

After holding a slim six-point lead at 47-41 at the half. The Storms tenacious defense held the  Fever to just 18 third-quarter points while erupting for a season-high 34 points. For Ogwumike the team’s dedication to playing tough defense after the halftime break was the key to the Storm breaking the game wide open.

“ We had a lot of deflections , some quick  run outs to kind of get our offense running  because we were able to just flow  naturally.”

KEY STATS OF THE GAME:

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• The Storm outscored Indiana 34-18 to build a 22-point lead after 30 minutes of play. The 34 points in the period were the most in any quarter by Seattle this season as the Storm connected on 66.7% (12-18) from the field.
• Seattle had five players score in double-figures for the second time this year, led by Jewell Loyd with 22.
• The Storm recorded a season-high 29 assists (on 42 made FGs), the most by any WNBA team this season and just the 13^th time in Storm history the team has dished out 29+.
• Seattle turned the ball over a season-low seven times while scoring 22 points on Indiana’s 13.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS:

• Nneka Ogwumike finished with 17 points, six boards and six assists. She is now 5 points away from 6,000 in her career.
• Jewell Loyd followed up her 32-point performance last time against Indiana with 22 tonight on 57.1% shooting (8-14). This marks Loyd’s 100^th career game with 20+ points.
• With her 4th block of the game, Ezi Magbegor recorded her 200th career block. She is the 3rd Storm player with 200+ blocks and the 49th WNBA player to reach that mark. Magbegor also contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three assists.
• Skylar Diggins-Smith contributed 18 points and matched a season-high nine assists. She finished the game with 1,302 career assists, moving her into the WNBA’s Top 20 in career assists.

FEVER HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Fever had five players reach double digits, led by NaLyssa Smith’s 22. Caitlin Clark added 20 and nine assists and Kelsey Mitchell dropped 14.
• NaLyssa Smith scored her 1,000^th career-point in the game and earned her second double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds (her first double-double of the season was in SEA on 5/22).

NEXT GAME:

• Seattle returns home to take on the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday, June 4, at Climate Pledge Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on FOX13+ and CBSSN, and streamed on Prime Video (WA). It will be the Storm’s first Commissioner’s Cup game of the 2024 season.

PHOTO CREDIT LIV LYONS