By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Key Takeaways from Seattle Storm’s Thrilling Preseason Match

The new-look Seattle Storm played its first game in front of the Storm faithful.  A boisterous crowd of 8,867  welcomed the head coach, Sonia Ramana, and her squad.  As expected, rookie guard Flau’Jea Johnson led the charge with 20 points. Zia Cooke chipped in  19 points. The backcourt duo brought energy, electricity, and excitement to a crowd that was both enchanted and intrigued.

“ I was excited to play in front of the crowd, even though it was a preseason game. There were a lot of people, and I can’t wait to see what it will look like for the home opener,’ said Johnson . “ Also, my teammates help a lot, the vets like Jordan Horston, Ezi Magbegor, and the coach help us be ourselves. “

LESSON LEARNED

The Storm were a bit reckless on defense in the second quarter, allowing the Fire to outscore them 23-18, but still managed a 45-42 halftime lead.

 “The pressure got to us a little bit, and we definitely have to work on our own ball pressure, said Cooke.

In the dreadful quarter, the Storm made just 2 of 7 field goals and committed 9 fouls.

“ We didn’t know going into it, knowing anything about what  Portland was going to run, but we had a feel for some of their personnel, and I think, um, they had to sort of adjust on the fly with what they were running and how we were going to defend it,’  said Raman after the game. “ So I think that the communication was good. It started to take a step forward. 
Obviously, you know, defending without filing is something we need to improve on after today. And I think, you know, that’s gonna be a huge focal point going forward.”

SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENT

Both teams left their shooting touch in the locker room to start the third quarter, and the result was a lack of execution. The Storm made 5 of 21 field-goal attempts for a paltry 23.8 shooting percentage.  The Fire were no better; the visitors made 3 of 12 field goals for a 25% shooting percentage.  Johnson’s seven points led the quarter while Carla Leite and  Luisa  Geiselsoder each had five points to lead the  Fire.  Leite’s free throw gave the Fire its first lead of the game at 46-47, which Stefanie Dolson erased with a layup. 

Emily   Engstler’s three-pointer gave the  Fire its last lead of the game at  48-50 with 6:54 left in the quarter.  A  Lexi Brown layup and two free throws saw the Storm take the lead for good at 52-50. With 5:11 left in the quarter. The Storm outscored the Fire 15- 10 to end the quarter with a 67-60 lead.

STORM CLOSES OUT THE GAME

On two separate occasions, the Fire narrowed the Storm’s lead to just one point, and on both occasions, Johnson came up big with clutch three-pointers. The  Storm managed to close out the game and even its preseason record to 1-1.

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