By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Storm connectedness down the stretch hand Minnesota Lynx first loss of the season

 Nneka Ogwumike scored a team-high 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and teammate Erica Wheeler scored 20 points to lead the Seattle Storm to a statement-making 94-84 win over the Minnesota Lynx.  The loss was the first of the season for the Lynx, who came into the game 9-0. The two teams played earlier this season, with the Lynx securing an 82-77 win. Wednesday night’s game was similar to the first meeting between the two teams.  High energy, tough defensive play with explosive scoring.

FAST START TO THE GAME.

Both teams began the game at a frantic pace, which saw the Storm take a 32-27 lead after the first quarter. The Storm shot a scorching 79% from the field after making 14 of 20 shots.  The Lynx shot 58% and made 10 of 17 field goals.   In the first game, the Storm struggled to keep up the Lynx’s intensity and counter their scoring.

“ So  for us to be able to, I think maybe match the aggression by putting points on the board, it was a very high scoring first quarter and half really. We needed to tighten up our defense in that way. 
But for us to be able to manage the tempo, manage the runs and stay present, you know, stay present within each possession. I think that’s a huge that’s a step in the right direction for our team,”  said Ogwumike after the game .

GOOD  THIRD QUARTER ADJUSTMENT

 After scoring just 16 points in the second quarter, the Storm turned up their defense in the third and outscored the Lynx 20-16. A  15-3 run to finish the third quarter saw the Storm enter the fourth quarter with a 68-65 lead.  Ogwumike scored nine of the  15 points, and rookie Dominique Malonga chipped in the other six points.  The Storm opened the fourth quarter with a 7-1 run and increased their lead to nine points. A mini seven-to-zero run by the Lynx cut the Storm’s lead to just one point with 6:01 left in the game, with the Storm leading 75-74.

CLUTCH DOWN THE STRETCH

An offensive frenzy saw the two teams take turns as scoring sprees late in the fourth quarter . In the scoring barrage the Lynx were able to cut the Storm’s lead to just one point on two more occasions, but were never able to tie or take the lead. The Storm answered each of the Lynx’s scoring runs. Wheeler’s clutch shooting late in the game sealed the win for the Storm. With  1:07 left in the game and the  Storm clinging to a one-point lead at 85-84, Wheeler drained a three-spot from the top of the key to give the Storm some breathing room. After the three-pointer, Wheeler hit back-to-back free throws to seal the win for the Storm.

“It was about us. I got keep saying it was never about anybody else. It’s about us. 
It’s putting games together for ourselves,’ said Wheeler . “ And that’s a really great team, and it was for us it was just more so executing the things that we’ve been working on for the past two days, because we don’t get the practice.We finally got two practices to practice. 
And we were locked in. And today that showed”.

BIG TAKE

This was a measurement game for the Storm. Safe to say the team passed with flying colors. This is really about how the Storm won. It was a complete team effort that featured a balanced scoring attack, a determination to win loose balls and a rebounding battle. The Storm outrebounded the Lynx 34-26. More importantly, the Storm pulled down 26 defensive rebounds and had 14 fast-break points. The belief each player had in each other and the system was the difference. There was a clear connection between the players on the court. According to Ogwumike, you need to have off-court connectedness in order for the players to feel comfortable and have faith in each other on the court.

“But being able to be you allows you to also play you, you know? 
And embracing that in a way where there’s a balance, I think that our front office and our coaching staff also were very intentional about balancing everyone who can beat themselves on a team together,’ said Ogwumike. ” And in moments where perhaps, you know, personities, mix and match, like we have a group of people that know how to be mature about it, that know how to be real about things, you know, we know how to address just the common things that you experience in relationships, and being teammates we’re with each other every single day.”

KEY STATS OF THE GAME  

·       All five starters scored at least eight points in the first half, marking the first time this season, and second time in franchise history, that all five of a team’s starters scored eight points in a single half. 

·       Seattle’s 50 points in the paint marked the highest paint scoring total by any Minnesota opponent this season, and the Storm also set a season-high for Lynx opponents with 22 points off turnovers.  

·       This marks the fourth time in WNBA history, and first time in franchise history, that all five of a team’s starters made at least six field goals in a game.  

·       The Storm recorded 30 assists for the second time this season, whereas the rest of the league has only combined for one game with 30 assists in 2025. 

STORM HIGHLIGHTS 

·       Nneka Ogwumike led all Storm scorers with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, tying Crystal Langhorne and Swin Cash for the seventh-most double-doubles in franchise history (10). She added four assists and a pair of steals to go along with 64.3% (9-for-14) shooting from the field, including 50% (2-for-4) from three. 

·       Erica Wheeler recorded her second 20-point outing of the season and added a season-high nine assists to become the fifth player in franchise history with 20 points and nine assists in a game. Wheeler converted on 53.8% (7-for-13) of her field goal attempts, including 60% (3-for-5) from deep to extend her career-best streak of consecutive games shooting above 50% from the field to seven games, which is also the longest active streak in the WNBA (min. 5 attempts). Wheeler led the Storm with eight points and four assists in the first quarter, tied for her most assists in a single quarter since 2019, and also paced all scorers with eight points in the final frame. 

·       Skylar Diggins scored 18 points to reach 5,000 career points in her 302nd game, passing Diana Taurasi (347 games) for the fastest player in WNBA history to record 5,000 points and 1,500 assists. Diggins knocked down a pair of threes and added six assists and a steal. 

·       Gabby Williams finished with 12 points and seven assists while setting her season highs with eight rebounds and four steals, joining Sue Bird as the only players in franchise history to post those stats in a game.  She dished out her 400th career assist and recorded multiple rebounds for the seventh time this season, which is the most multi-steal games in the WNBA. 

·       Ezi Magbegor finished with a season-high 13 points on 75% (6-for-8) shooting from the field to go with three blocks and grabbed eight boards to pass Crystal Langhorne for the sixth-most rebounds in Storm franchise history (1,048). Magbegor also moved into sixth on the franchise’s all-time defensive rebounds list (753) and third on the Storm’s all-time offensive rebounds list (294). 

·       Dominique Malonga matched her career high with eight points on 80% (4-for-5) shooting from the field. Malonga leads all rookies in field goal percentage this season and shot over 50% from the field for the eighth time this season, which is tied for the second-most such games by any WNBA reserve this season. 

LYNX HIGHLIGHTS 

·       Napheesa Collier led Minnesota with 25 points and nine rebounds. 

·       Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams each added six assists for the Lynx. 

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