By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Nneka Ogwumike leads Storm to a gritty  95-79 win over the  LA Sparks

The Storm returned to their winning ways Tuesday night at Climate Pledge Arena with a gritty 95-79 win over an LA Sparks that was ridding a two-game win streak.  Nneka Ogwumike scored a game-high 26 points with another efficient effort that saw her make 11-of-15 shots and grab eight rebounds in her first game against her former team. In her post-game interview, Ogwumike downplayed the significance of the opponent.

“ I actually think that this game was impactful because of the last game,” said Ogwumike referencing the Storm’s loss to the Minnesota Lynx. In the loss to the Lynx, the Storm lacked the killer instinct to shut down the Lynx down the stretch. That was not the case against the Sparks.

TIGHT  THIRD QUARTER

The Sparks stayed with the  Storm for the majority of the game.  After a 25-25  deadlocked first quarter, the Sparks went into the halftime break down by just six points at 48-46. The pesky Sparks team stayed with the Storm throughout the third and never trailed by more than five points.

After scoring eight first-half points due to foul trouble that saw her play just ten minutes Ogwumike found her shooting touch and led the Storm with nine points in the quarter.  The Storm started the fourth quarter holding on to a five-point lead at 66-61

 SEPARATION IN THE FOURTH QUARTER

A seesaw battle continued until there was 3:42 left in the game.  Leading  76-60  the Storm reeled off a  10-0 run to blow the game wide open. Ogwumike had five of the ten points hitting a three-pointer and driving layup , Skylar Diggins-Smith added another three-pointer and Jewell Loyd hit a jumper to round out the 10-0 run.

“ One of the points of emphasis was for us to win the 50/50 balls, stay focused, and concentrate on closing out plays on both ends of the court,” Ogwumike added

BIG TAKE

According to head coach Noelle Quinn, the win over the Sparks marked another learning moment for the team. While it was great for her team to get back on the winning track how they won the game that was important to Quinn.

“ LA has a lot of talent that the record does not show, they are a tough matchup and have a lot of firepower so it’s not just getting the win today, it’ how we won today that I am most proud of, “  said Quinn

KEY STATS OF THE GAME:

  • Nneka Ogwumike scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting in her first game against her former team.
  • Seattle shot 66.7% (14-21) in the pivotal fourth quarter, outscoring the Sparks 29-18 in the final period in their best fourth quarter this year.
  • The Storm is 3-1 in Commissioner’s Cup games, with one left. As part of the Commissioner’s Cup program, the Storm has donated $10,000 ($3,000 on a win, $1,000 on a loss) to Pro-Choice Washington so far.
STORM HIGHLIGHTS:
  • In addition to Ogwumike’s season-high 26 points—her 34th career 25+ point game—and added eight rebounds and two blocks. The game marked her 364th straight game with at least one rebound, the second longest streak in WNBA history behind Candace Parker (410).
  • Ezi Magbegor had eight points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. It marked her eighth straight game with 3+ blocks, the second longest streak in WNBA history, one behind Lisa Leslie’s nine-straight.
  • Jewell Loyd finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and her first two blocks of the season. Those blocks gave her 74 in her career, moving her past Sue Bird (72) for ninth in franchise history. Her 21 points marked her seventh 20+ point game this season and 103rd of her career.
  • Skylar Diggins-Smith finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists, her sixth game this season with six or more assists.
SPARKS HIGHLIGHTS:
  • Dearica Hamby recorded her league-leading 10th double-double of the season, leading the Sparks with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

NEXT GAME:

  • The Storm starts a three-game road trip in Dallas on Thursday, June 13 at 4 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

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