The Seattle Storm’s explosive third quater leads to 83-81 win over Dallas

After struggling for most of the first half, the Storm erupted for 34 third-quarter points on its way to the improbable win.

The Storm matched its largest deficit ever overcome in a road win on Friday at College Park Center, using a long 46-12 run to turn a 21-point deficit into a 13-point lead late in the third. Seattle then had to hold on, as Dallas made a late run but missed a pair of shots in the final seconds as the Storm held on for the 83-81 win.  

Down 50-37 at halftime, the Storm (23-14) came alive in the third quarter, using a 19-0 run to outscore the Dallas (9-29) 34-13. The last time Seattle erupted for 34 points in a quarter? July 1 … against Dallas.

But despite the big run, Seattle had to hold on late. The Wings used a late 7-0 run capped by a three-pointer from Arike Ogunbowale to tie the game at 81-81 with :34.3 seconds left. But Skylar Diggins-Smith connected on a pair of free throws with :17.8 seconds to go, and Ogunbowale missed a pair of shots in the closing seconds as the Storm held on for the victory.

Diggins-Smith, who haspaced Seattle’s offensive surge, especially since the Olympic break, led all Seattle scorers with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three. The point guard snagged four steals for the second straight game and dished out four assists, moving her past Tamika Catchings for 10th on the WNBA’s all-time assists list (1,489).

Jewell Loyd also reached a significant milestone Friday night, moving into 20th on the league’s all-time scoring list. Her 15 points moved her past Lindsay Whalen as she now has 5,536 points in her career.

The Wings dominated in the paint early on, scoring 32 of its 48 points in the paint in the first half. However, Seattle limited the Wings in the second half including holding the home team to just 9-of-32 shooting in the second half, 2-of-14 shooting in the third quarter. Teaira McCowan finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds while Satou Sabally added 18 and seven, but the pair combined for just 10 points in the second half.

Ogunbowale, who entered the game and was ranked second in the WNBA in scoring, had just 15 points, with 13 coming in the second half.

Gabby Williams added 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, reaching double digits in four of her last five games. At the same time, Mercedes Russell came up big for the Storm, posting a game-high +/- of +19, scoring nine points while adding five rebounds and two assists. She was key in the post in the second half after Ezi Magbegor left the game due to an eye injury suffered in the second quarter and did not return to the game.

The Storm converted 19 Dallas turnovers into 27 points and poured in a season-high 33 fast break points.

Seattle returns home for its final two regular-season games in Climate Pledge Arena next week, beginning with a contest against Los Angeles on Sunday at 3 p.m.

—— StormBasketball.com ——

TEAM	1	2	3	4	FINAL	HIGH PTS	HIGH REB	HIGH AST
SEATTLE	19	18	34	12	83	S. Diggins-Smith (21)	G. Williams (7)	J. Loyd (6)
DALLAS	28	22	13	18	81	T. McCowan (23)	T. McCowan (15)	S. Sabally (6)

STORY OF THE GAME: The Storm matched its largest deficit ever overcome in a road win on Friday, using a long 46-12 run to turn a 21-point deficit into a 13-point lead late in the third. Seattle then had to hold on, as Dallas made a late run but missed a pair of shots in the final seconds as the Storm held on for the 83-81 win.  

KEY STATS OF THE GAME

• The Storm worked out of a 21-point, first-half deficit, matching its largest deficit overcome on the road (21, at Phoenix, 5/22/2008), and tying the second-largest comeback overall in franchise history (22, vs Houston, 5/19/2007).
• Seattle recorded a season-best 33 fast break points, converting 19 Dallas turnovers in 27 points.
• The Storm matched a season-high 34 points in a pivotal third quarter as Seattle outscored Dallas 34-13, including a 19-0 Storm run. Seattle shot 65% (13-of-20) in the third frame and limited Dallas to its lowest scoring quarter and 3-of-17 shooting (17.6%).

 

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

·         Skylar Diggins-Smith finished with 21 points for her ninth 20-point game this season (105^th career)to lead Seattle’s offensive charge. She matched a season-high four steals and added four assists, passing Tamika Catchings for 10^th on the WNBA’s all-time assists list (1,489).

·         Jewell Loyd notched 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists, moving past Lindsay Whalen for 20^th on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list.

·         Gabby Williams added 10 points (5-of-8 shooting), a season-high seven rebounds, and five assists as she reached double-digits for the fourth time in her last five games.

·         Nneka Ogwumike added 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

·         Mercedes Russell led Seattle’s 19 bench points with a season-high nine of her own (3-of-4 shooting), five rebounds, and two assists.

·         Despite shooting nine fewer free throws than the Wings, the league-leading Storm (83.7% season average) went perfect from the free throw line (10-for-10) for the first time since August 9, 2022 (12-for-12 at CHI).

 

WINGS HIGHLIGHTS

• The Wings had three double-digit players, led by Teaira McCowan with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Satou Sabally added 18 points, six assists, and seven rebounds.

NEXT GAME: The Storm returns home to Climate Pledge Arena and takes on the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, September 15 at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast on FOX13+ and streamed on Amazon Prime (WA).