The Seattle Storm basketball team ended with a 74 -73 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game three of the WNBA First Round. A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 38 points while Erica Wheeler and Nneka Ogwumike each scored 16 points for the Storm.
FAST START FOR BOTH TEAMS
As expected in an elimination game, both teams brought energy and pace from the beginning. The Aces took the first big punch of the game when Jackie Young’s driving layup gave them a 12-8 lead with 3:44 left in the first quarter. The Storm absorbed the punch and finished the quarter with an 8-0 run and a 19- 14 advantage. Erica Wheeler and Skylar Diggins score five points apiece to pace the Storm.
ACES CLAMP DOWN ON STORM
A defensive-focused Aces team shut down in the second quarter.The Storm scored just seven points in the second quarter. The issue was ice-cold shooting from the floor. The Storm made 2 of 13 field goal attempts . The Aces, on the other hand, were on the end of the spectrum, converting 8 of 12 shots, and were led by A’ja Wilson’s seven points. The hot shooting by the Vegas saw them regain the lead and step into the halftime break with a 33-26 lead. Wilson finished the half with 13 points. Ezi Magbegor and Skylar Diggins each had five points in the first half for the Storm. Ogwumike finished the first half 0-4 from the field and made two free throws to finish the half with just two points.
STORM RESPONDS
The Storm responded to the Aces’ defense with quick ball movement, creating open looks for multiple players in the offensive set. Dominique Malonga stayed active on both ends, defending Wilson on the defensive half and setting pick-and-rolls on the offensive end. Ogwumike scored her first basket of the game and finished the quarter with five points. Erica Wheeler and Skylar Diggins found space in the perimeter to score five points each and joined Ogwumike for the team’s high points scored in the quarter.
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BACK AND FORT AFFAIR
The fourth quarter was a simple knockout and drag affair, with both teams playing to their strengths. The most significant lead by either side was a five-point lead by the Aces on two free throws by Young to give the Aces a 66-61 with 3:28 left in the game. The Storm reeled off five straight points to tie the game. A clutch three-point basket by Ogwumike and back to free throws tied the game at 66 all with 2:20 left in the game. Diggins’ three-point shot gave the Storm a one-point lead with 1:15 left.
Wilson’s layup on the succeeding possession game gave the lead back to the Aces at 72-71. A running pull-up shot by Wheeler gave the lead back to the with 19.3 seconds left. Young tipped back a missed shot by Wilson to put the Aces ahead for good. With 12.4 seconds left, Wheeler’s 15 jump shot bounced off the rim to Diggins, who passed the ball to Williams, but she was unable to get the shot off as time expired.
“I would love for it to go in, but I’ll take that shot every time,” Wheeler said after the game, “We had two good looks at the rim, but that’s all part of basketball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Today was one of those days when it just didn’t go in.”
POST GAME NOTES
KEY STATS OF THE GAME
- The Storm won the rebounding battle for the second straight game, pulling down 33 boards to the Aces’ 27.
- Seattle’s bench outscored Las Vegas’ reserves 19-8.
- The Storm’s transition play garnered 14 fast break points, compared to the Aces’ 2.
STORM HIGHLIGHTS
- Nneka Ogwumike ended with 16 points including shooting 87.6% (7-for-8) from the line. She led all Storm players with nine rebounds and passed Tina Thompson for No. 16 on the WNBA’s all-time postseason rebounding list (317).
- Erica Wheeler matched Ogwumike with 16 points, while notching her 50th career postseason point alongside five assists.
- Skylar Diggins added 13 points and shot 60% (3-for-5) from beyond the arc. She paced all Storm players with six assists, which propelled her into the Storm’s top-10 for postseason assists (33). Diggins moved into 14th on the Storm’s all-time postseason scoring list.
- Brittney Sykes put up nine points, seven of which came in the third quarter, on 80% shooting (4-for-5).
- Ezi Magbegorhttps://www.wnba.com/player/1629496/ezi-magbegor joined Sykes with nine points and added five rebounds and two steals.
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