Skylar Diggins driving layup with 3.4 seconds gave the Storm a hard-fought 80-79 bounce-back win over the Atlanta Dream. Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 24 points and Erica Wheeler chipped in 21points as the Storm rebounded from a disappointing second consecutive loss to the Golden State Valkyries. In the loss to the expansion side, the Storm were outshot, outhustled, and blown off the court. After two days of practice and refocusing, the Storm were determined to get back on the winning side.
BACK AND FORTH FIRST QUARTER
The first quarter saw seven lead changes, and the Storm made just one turnover, which was the good news. The bad news was the Storm’s poor field goal shooting; the team made 7 of 20 shots for a 35% shooting percentage. Atlanta made 5 of 16 shots for 31 %. Defending the paint and forcing Atlanta to shoot from the outside was the key in the Storm clinging to a 15-13 lead after the first quarter.
STORM LIGHT IT UP FROM THE TREY LAND
Both teams heated up in the second quarter with the Storm making five of five three-pointers. More impressive was the fact that five different players made all five three-pointers. Alysha Clark, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Erica Wheeler, and Skylar Diggins all joined in the three Fest. Overall, the Storm made 8 of 17 shots from the field. The Dream continued to play downhill and attack the belly of the Storm defense, making 9 of 16 shots for a 56.2% percentage. Jordina Canada scored nine points in the quarter on her way to a 13-point first half to lead the Dream. A balanced attack by the Storm saw all starters score, with Williams and Ogwumike scoring nine each in the first half.
EMOTION FIELD THIRD QUARTER
The Storm looked to be in command of the game when Skylar Diggins hit two free throws to give the Storm a 46-53 lead with 3:49 left in the third quarter. Looks were deceiving. A 7-0 saw the Dream gain a one-point advantage on two Alysa Gray free throws with 1:51 left in the quarter. Two buckets by Wheeler and Clark saw the quarter end with the Storm holding on to a slim 59-56 lead.
BACK AND FORTH TO THE END
A back-and-forth quarter kept the game evenly balanced until the end. The Dream had leads of five points and four points, but were unable to put the Storm away due to its resolve and determination. Down 79-75 with 51.2 seconds left in the game, Diggins pulled the team’s third offensive rebound of the game. It was easily the Storm’s biggest rebound of the game. Wheeler hit a three-point shot to just one point with 32.5 seconds left in the game.
Ogwumike rebounded Maya Caldwell’s jump shot, and the Storm called a timeout with 11.4 seconds left on the game clock. A frantic play after the timeout saw bodies crashing into each other, flying to the ground, and a smooth, calculated dribble drive penetration layup that gave the Storm an 80-79 lead with 3.4 seconds left in the contest. Jordin Canada’s pull-up jump shot was off the mark, and time expired.
GAME NOTES
KEY STATS OF THE GAME
· The Storm scored 10 fast-break points in the first half, matching the most by any Dream opponent in a single half this season, which was set by Seattle in the first half of the team’s last matchup with Atlanta.
· Seattle out-shot the Dream 10 to 4 from beyond the arc, just the third time this season that an opponent made more three-pointers than the Dream and the second time a team made 10 or more threes against Atlanta.
· In a matchup of the two lowest-turnover offenses, the Storm’s 12 steals matched the most by any Atlanta opponent so far this season, and Seattle became the second team to exceed 20 points off turnovers against the Dream in 2025.
· Seattle’s seven steals in the third quarter matched the most by any Dream opponent in a single quarter this season.
· The Storm deflected 6.2% of Atlanta’s passes, according to Genius Sports tracking, the highest rate of any Dream opponent in a game this season.
STORM HIGHLIGHTS
· All-Star starter Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 24 points and seven rebounds asshe moved into seventh on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Sue Bird and Cappie Pondexter. She converted on 64.3% (9-for-14) of her shots from the field and 60% (3-for-5) from downtown, as she tied her season high for made threes. Ogwumike also matched her season high with three steals and added two assists and a block while knocking down all three of her free-throw attempts.
· Erica Wheeler tied her season high with 21 points and three steals to go with five rebounds, two assists, and a block. Wheeler shot 60% (3-for-5) from deep for her seventh consecutive game with a made three-pointer, the longest streak of her career. Wheeler’s block was her fifth rejection of the season, marking her highest single-season blocks total since 2021. Wheeler led all scorers with 16 points in the second half as she shot 70% (7-for-10) from the field after halftime.
· Gabby Williams finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds for her 11th game with at least 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists with the Storm, which ranks fourth in franchise history. Williams added a pair of steals for her league-high 14th multi-steal game this season.
· Skylar Diggins scored 11 points, including a game-winning layup with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Diggins added three assists and two rebounds with a steal.
· Ezi Magbegor posted five points, two rebounds, and two assists with four blocks and two steals. This marked Magbegor’s 26th career game with multiple steals and multiple blocks, the second-most such games before turning 26 years old by any player in WNBA history, only trailing Lauren Jackson. This was also her 32nd game with five stocks (combined steals + blocks), passing Breanna Stewart for the second-most such games in franchise history. Magbegor is tied for the league lead of three games with at least four blocked shots this season.
· Alysha Clark led all Storm reserves with eight points, two rebounds, and a steal off the bench while shooting 75% (3-for-4) from the field and 100% (2-for-2) from deep. Clark passed Swin Cash for the 10th-most two-point field goals made in Storm franchise history with 485. She also added a pair of three-pointers for her 250th made three-pointer in a Storm uniform.
DREAM HIGHLIGHTS
· Jordin Canada Atlanta with 25 points and Allisha Gray notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
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