Nneka Ogwumike drops 26, leads Storm to bounce back win

After scoring just nine points in her last game, it was a sure bet that  Nneka Ogwumike would have a bounce-back game.   Ogwumike scored 26 points to lead the Storm to their first victory over the Lynx.  Ogwumike saw her season-long streak of scoring in double figures snapped in the Storm 79 to 84 against the Las Vegas Aces.

A lot of pride was on the line for Ogwumike and the Storm in their fourth and final regular season game with the Lynx.   The absence of the Lynx leader, Napheesa Collier, was an added incentive for the Storm. Collier sat the Lyn’s last two games due to plantar fasciitis in her left foot.

 LETHARGIC START

Despite all of the incentives on the line,  it was the Lynx who delivered the first blow of the game. The visitors bolted to a 9-2 run, forcing a time out Storm head coach Noelle Quinn. The reset paid dividends for the Storm, who outscored the Lynx 23-13 to finish the quarter with a 25-22 lead. A 12-point second quarter by Ogwumike saw the Storm head into the halftime break with a 50-37 lead.

“ We got back on track and got some deflection and some activity on the defensive end, which brought us some good things offensively, “Quinn said after the game when asked about her team’s refocus.

MORE FOCUSED THIRD QUARTER

In the loss, the Aces and the Storm had a defensive meltdown and gave up 30 third-quarter points.   Against the Lynx, the Storm were determined to avoid repeating the lackluster effort.  “ Minnesota has a lot of firepower, especially from the three, and versatility from their bigs. We were intent on not overthinking stuff, playing just good fundamental basketball, and not giving up too many looks, said Quinn.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

 In addition to playing good fundamental defense, the Storm zipped the ball around in transition and when they were in the half-court. The Storm finished the game with  29 assists. Spearheading the attack was Skylar Diggins-Smith, who dished out 12 assists to tie her career high. Diggins-Smith chipped in 10 points to record her 12th double-double of her career. The Storm outscored the Lynx 19 to 7 in the fourth quarter to get back on the winning side and record their sixth win in eight consecutive home games.

Noelle Quinn on Nneka Ogwumike’s work ethic. ⁦@seattlestorm⁩ ⁦@CascadiasportsN⁩ pic.twitter.com/Ikv8xeT1y7

— MazvitaMaraire (@MazvitaMaraire) July 13, 2024

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GAME NOTES

STORY OF THE GAME:

• Seattle’s offense tallied 91 points while the defense held Minnesota to a season-low 63 as the Storm declawed the Lynx 91-63 to improve to 6-2 through eight games of its WNBA-record nine-game homestand.
  

KEY STATS OF THE GAME:

• The Storm broke a 22-22 tie near the end of the first quarter with a 14-0 scoring run, starting with a Sami Whitcomb three-pointer with five seconds left in the first and running through the first five minutes of the second half.
• The Storm tied a season-high with 29 assists on 33 made field goals for an 87.9 assist percentage, its ninth-best in franchise history and highest since May 20, 2022.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS:

• Skylar Diggins-Smith recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 points and tied a career-high with 12 assists. She previously had 12 assists 10 years and two days ago against Minnesota while with the Tulsa Shock. Tonight’s performance marked her 12th career double-double and her 12 assists led to 27 Seattle points.

·         Nneka Ogwumike matched her season-high with 26 points on 71.4 percent shooting (10-of-14), adding seven rebounds and three assists. Of her 26 points, 19 came in the first half, her most in a half this season, including connecting on her 150^th career three-pointer.

·         Ezi Magbegor recorded 10 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in moving her past her head coach Noelle Quinn for the 13th most dimes in franchise history.

·         Sami Whitcomb poured in a season-high 14 points off the bench, including matching a season-high with four three-pointers.

·         Jewell Loyd hit double-digits for the 22^nd time this season with 14 points and five assists.

LYNX HIGHLIGHTS:

·         Kayla McBride led the Lynxwith 27 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 6-of-12 from three-point range.

NEXT GAME: The Storm finishes its nine-game homestand on Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Atlanta Dream. The game will be broadcast on FOX13+ and Prime Video (WA).