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Loyd scores 26 as Seattle Storm grab 95-71 victory over Dallas Wings, extend winning streak to four games

By Owen Murray

Home is where the heart is, and for the Seattle Storm (12-6), it continues to be where the wins are. The Storm took a 95-71 victory over the Dallas Wings (4-14) on Monday night. Jewell Loyd once again led the team with 26 points, and the Storm extended their home winning streak to eight games.

The Storm rolled towards the halfway point of their nearly month-long homestand with aplomb. Victory against the Wings leaves the team with the joint-longest outright winning streak in the WNBA, with four consecutive wins, and there’s no sign of Seattle’s group letting up. They’ve lost just once at Climate Pledge Arena between league and Commissioner’s Cup play this season. Seven of their eight home victories were by double-digits.

“You definitely want to protect home court,” Loyd said. “It’s super important and you want to build some momentum going into the [Olympic] break. We want to be active … These games aren’t easy [and] the schedule is crazy. We’re hitting a good stride right now.”

Despite a 21-point victory over the Wings three days prior, the first quarter was tightly contested. Neither team opened up more than a five-point lead, and six lead changes in 10 minutes wound the teams together.

That was as close as it would get. Loyd’s 13 first-half points boosted the Storm into an eight-point halftime lead. She dominated for long stretches of the game, and a mid-air improvised assist followed by an and-one layup on the next possession illustrated the influence she has on Seattle’s game.

“She helps us tremendously,” Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said. “We talk about how well we’re playing on the defensive end, [but] when we can consistently be efficient in our offensive attack, she’s leading the way. She’s in a great pocket right now — playing confidently, playing freely. Hopefully we can get some more 30-point games.”

Loyd finished the game shooting eight-for-14 with 26 points, including three-for-six from beyond the arc. It’s her third 25-point outing in a row, after putting up a season-best 34 points against the Indiana Fever and 30 against the Wings last Saturday.

Seattle often forced the Wings into extended possessions that often ended in turnovers: Dallas guard Odyssey Sims slapped the ball in frustration after an open look from outside the 3-point line was curtailed by the buzzer. 

The Wings’ 16.1 turnovers per game rank last in the WNBA. Eight of the Storm’s 19 first-quarter points came off turnovers, and they’d finish the game leading the category by 13 points. Dallas finished the game with 18 turnovers.

“It was no different,” Storm forward Jordan Horston said. “Of course we want them to not score. When one person moves and the next person is moving, we’re on a string. It’s pretty fun to watch.”

A dominant third quarter would effectively close out the game. The Storm held their opponents to just 13 points, including 4:32 of shutout basketball, and added 34 more of their own to put up their largest lead of the game to that point (29). 

Quinn effectively pulled the rest of her starters for the final quarter. Four bench players (Mercedes Russell, Victoria Vivians, Sami Whitcomb and Joyner Holmes) played more than 10 minutes, and combined for 27 points. Seattle led the bench-points differential 27-14 and didn’t let the Wings within 23 points of the lead in the final 10 minutes.

“Every single person on this team is a really good athlete,” Loyd said. “So regardless, if you’re messing around with an actual scheme, your instincts just cover up a lot of things. I just think we have a really good, athletic group and it allows us to be so versatile and switch up different coverages throughout the game.”

Seattle now moves into a stretch of five more home games, including matchups with conference rivals Minnesota and Las Vegas, before heading on the road in mid-July. Its homestand continues next on Friday against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. Tip is set for 7:00 PM.

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