By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Storm lack good energy in 63-87 loss to Dallas Wings

Just three days after the WNBA All-Star game, the Seattle Storm was back on the court hosting the Dallas Wings.  With  Nneka Ogwumike,  Gabby Williams, and Skylar Diggins participating in the WNBA All-Star Game and Eric Wheeler in the Skills Competition, good energy was going to be key for the Storm to start the second half of the season on the right foot.

HAMSTRUNG AT THE START

When it was announced that Diggins would not be playing in the game due to personal reasons, the team’s psyche and energy were dealt a significant blow. That would be called bad energy. Former starter  Tiffany Mitchell stepped in for Diggins, and all was well for the first part of the game. The Storm jumped out to an 8-0 run three minutes into the game.    Despite poor shooting, the Wings made 13 of 33 field goal attempts and five of 11 three-pointers, calling their way back into the game.   A continued stifling defense, crisp passing, and ball movement saw the Storm take a 19-15 lead.  

BACK AND FORTH SECOND QUARTER

A back-and-forth second quarter saw the Storm extend its lead to ten at 32-22 with  3:15 left in the half.  Back-to-back layups by the Wings, Luisa Geiseisoder and JJ Quinerly, cut the lead to six points. The Storm answered the Wings’ mini run with one of their own.  A Ezi Magbegor lay-up and a jumper by Gabby Williams restored the Storm’s 10-point lead with 1:12 left in the half.  The mini run zapped the Storm’s energy while invigorating the  Wings.  A Geiselsoder three-pointer was followed up by a Paige Bueckers running lay and a halftime buzzer-beater three-pointer by Arial Ogunbowale, cutting the Storm’s lead to just two points as both teams headed to their respective locker rooms.

CONTINUED ENERGY

 The  Wings came out of the locker room breathing fire to play down hall.  The visitors reeled off a 14-2 run to start the quarter and take control of the game. Each basket made by the Wings seemed to suck the life out of the Storm.  Ogwumike and  Gabby Williams tried to breathe life into it, but it was of no avail.  Missing were energy and tenacity to fight back from the top of the key on defense, as well as the ability to distribute the ball on offense. The usually reserved Ogwumike received a flagrant one technical foul after she became tangled up with Geiselsoder. Both players received Technical fouls, but Ogwumike’s action was deemed the extra punishment, according to referee Issac Bennett.

LACKING ENERGY FOR THE FIGHT BACK

The Wings finished the third quarter with a 51-66 lead and never looked back. The Storm were outscored 21-12 in the fourth quarter.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS 

  • Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 22 points on 52.6% (10-for-19) shooting from the field and 50% (2-for-4) from deep for her 10th 20-point scoring performance of the season. Ogwumike made at least 10 field goals for the seventh time in 2025, which leads the league this season, and the 57th time in her career to pass Diana Taurasi for the fourth-most games of 10 or more field goals made in WNBA history.  
  • Ezi Magbegor scored 12 points with nine rebounds on 100% (8-for-8) shooting from the free-throw line as she set her career high for free throws in a single game. Magbegor recorded the 800th defensive rebound of her career, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to do so, and extended her franchise-record streak of games with multiple defensive rebounds to 103 games, which is the ninth-longest in WNBA history. This marks Magbegor’s 97th career game scoring in double figures, passing Swin Cash for the eighth-most double-digit scoring games in franchise history. 
  • Gabby Williams set her career highfor assists in a single half with eight before halftime as she recorded her 300th assist in a Storm uniform and passed Betty Lennox for 12th on the Storm’s franchise assists list at 302. Williams finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals to set the Storm single-season record for games with four or more steals with her sixth such performance of 2025. 
  • Tiffany Mitchell made her first start with the Storm and recorded the 800th made field goal of her career. 
  • Erica Wheeler added four points, two assists and two steals while setting her season high with seven rebounds. Wheeler recorded her sixth block of the season, which marks her highest blocks total in a season since 2021.  

UP NEXT: The Storm plays the Chicago Sky on Thursday, July 24 at 5:30 pm PT. This is the first of three road games coming up for Seattle. The game will be broadcast locally on KOMO and CW Seattle and is available for Prime Video users in Washington state. 

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TEAM 1 2 3 4 FINAL HIGH PTS HIGH REB HIGH AST 
SEATTLE 19 17 15 12 63 N. Ogwumike (22) E. Magbegor (9) G. Williams (8) 
DALLAS 15 19 32 21 87 A. Ogunbowale (20) L. Yueru (10) Bueckers, Jones (6) 

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