By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Storm’s lack of defensive discipline leads to a disappointing 94-87 loss to the Dream.

A stellar first half was wiped out by a lack of disciplined defending in the second half, which saw the Storm lose at home for the first time this season. In the Storm’s first two home wins over the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces, the team was tenacious when it came to rebounding , winning loose balls on both ends of the court and lethal finishing on offense . The common denominator ? “Good energy”, head coach Noelle Quinn often refers to as the Storms main building block for winning games.

A GOOD START

Against Atlanta, the team had a Dream start, no pun intended.  The Storm rolled out to a  23-15 first-quarter lead with Nneka Ogwumike leading the way with eight points.  Ogwumike finished the game with 16 points, four behind Skylar Diggins’ team-high of 20 points. The team was playing with good energy on both ends of the court.  The stifling defense by the Storm limited the Dream to a paltry 29 % field goal shooting percentage. The Dream made just five of 17 shots from the field.

 A BACK AND FORTH SECOND

The Storm held serve in the second quarter, extending it’s lead to 15 at 36-21 with 5:14 left in the quarter.  The Dream improved turned up it’s eneryg on the offensive end. Two time All- Star Rhyne  Howard scored a game-high seven points in the quarter. The Storm went into the halftime break with a 45-34 lead due to efficient shooting, making 8 of 13 shots from the floor.  Howard would finish with a game-high 33 points.

NOT SURE A GOOD QUARTER

The  Storm looked intent on putting the  Dream away with a 6-0 run to start the third quarter with consecutive baskets from  Ogwumike, Erica Wheeler, and Diggins. With the Storm taking a 51-34 lead, Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko called a timeout, which had a dramatic impact on the game.  The time out seemed to sap the Storm of their energy. Howard on the hand increased her intensity , she erased the Storm’s six-point run with back-to-back three-point plays to cut the deficit to eleven points at  51-40 with eight minutes left in the third quarter.

  A   Diggins three point play stemmed the tide and saw the Storm  stretch the lead to 14 points. A Brionna Jones tip-in brought the Storm’s lead back down to 12 points at  54-42. It looked as though the Storm were in command after Gabby Williams’ three-pointer to increase the lead back to 15 points at 57-42.

LACK OF ENERGY AND AGGRESSION

A lack of discipline on the defensive end and poor execution saw the Dream outscore the Storm 21-9 to finish the quarter.  The quarter ended with the  Storm leading 66-63 but looking leg weary and exhausted.

“  I think that were we weren’t as disciplined, I guess, at the end of the defensive plays, which led to fouls and the ones, “ said  Gabby Williams after the game. And then of course, the rebounding was something that, that really lacked for us. The Dream had seven seconds in the second half and one in the game. “

LACK OF CONCENTRATION LEADS TO LOSS

The Storm’s lack of defensive discipline, poor rebounding, and lack of execution on the offensive end continued, which allowed the Dream to tie the game early in the fourth quarter on a Jones three-point play. The lead would change two more times before the Dream took the lead for good on a five-point play by Allisha Gray. Gray was fouled by Zia Cooke attempting a three-pointer.

 An official review upgraded Cooke’s foul to a flagrant, which resulted in Gray being given three throws and the Dream regaining possession of the ball. Gary made two of the three free throws and a three-pointer, which gave the Dream a five-point swing and put them back in the lead at 75-70. Back to back herculean plays by Ogwumike , two free throws and a lay-up cut the Storm’s deficit to one point at 74-75 with 6:11 left. That was as close as the Storm would get the rest of the game. 

BIG TAKE

The loss to the Dream is disappointing in that the Storm led by as many as 17 points in the second half. Yes, there was a lack of pushback by Storm players when they were pushed. What matters is how the team will respond. The team is made up of veteran players but is still finding its identity. It takes time for any team to create synergy and cohesiveness.

GAME NOTES

KEY STATS OF THE GAME  

·       Seattle recorded a season-high 19 second-chance points against Atlanta. 

·       Four Storm starters finished in double-digits, and all of the starters grabbed at least three rebounds. 

·       Seattle’s 52 points in the paint matched the team’s season high and outpaced all but one Storm game from last season.  

·       The Storm’s defense held Atlanta to just 32.2% (13-for-38) shooting from the field before halftime.  

STORM HIGHLIGHTS 

·       Skylar Diggins led the Storm with 20 points, shooting 60% (6-for-10) from the field and 89% (8-for-9) at the line. Diggins tied Camille Little for the ninth-most 20-point scoring performances with Seattle (13). 

·       Erica Wheeler got her first start in a Storm uniform, contributing on both sides of the ball while reaching 7,000 minutes played in her WNBA career. She’s just the fourth undrafted player to achieve this milestone. Wheeler put in 14 points and added five assists while grabbing five rebounds and a steal. She became the first player in franchise history to record at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in their first start with the Storm. 

·       Nneka Ogwumike posted 16 points and six rebounds, and with her final rebound of the game, passed Taj McWilliams-Franklin for No. 10 on the all-time rebounds list (3,014). 

·       Gabby Williams finished with 14 points on 60% (6-for-10) shooting from the field and grabbed two steals, including her 100th in a Storm uniform to tie Sue Bird for the third-fastest to 100 steals in franchise history (64 games). Williams scored in double figures for the fifth consecutive game, tying her longest career streak of double-digit scoring performances. She also knocked down two threes to extend her career-best streak of games with multiple three-pointers to five games.  

DREAM HIGHLIGHTS 

·       Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 33 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Allisha Gray scored 28 points, and Naz Hillmon added 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench. 

UP NEXT: The Storm take on the Las Vegas Aces at home for the second time this season on Sunday, June 1, tip-off is at 3 pm PT. This is the first Commissioner’s Cup game for Seattle. The game will be broadcast on KOMO and the CW Seattle, and it will be streamed to Prime Video customers throughout Washington state.  

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