WNBA Game Recap: Storm Struggles Against Lynx

The Seattle Storm got one thing right in their 5th straight loss. To beat the WNBA’s best team, they needed to do more than one thing right. In the 88-68 loss to the Minnesota Lynx (9-2), the Storm played one of their best offensive quarters of the season. The visitors scored 24 first-quarter points, 18 of which were from the three-point range, where the Storm made 6 of 11 attempts. The quarter ended with the Storm leading 24-16.

“ We got the start we wanted, but what we lacked was the consistency needed to sustain the momentum,” head coach Sonia Raman said after the game.

HEIDMAN TO THE RESCUE

 The Storm’s first-quarter momentum slowed considerably in the second quarter. The Storm made  6 of 17 field goal attempts for a 35% shooting percentage. What kept the Storm in the game was the hot hand of Natisha Hiedeman, who made 3 of 7 three-pointers. Heideman scored nine of the Storm’s 19 points in the quarter.  On the flip side, the Lynz Natasha Howard was just as hot. Howard made 4 of 5 field goal attempts, both free throw attempts, and finished the quarter with 10 points.  The Lynx made 12 of 24 field-goal attempts and outscored the Storm 29 to 19 to take a 45-43 halftime lead. One bright spot in the second quarter for the Storm was the return of Dominique Malonga, who missed the previous eight games due to a concussion.

“We wanted to get to that pairing,” Seattle coach Sonia Raman said. “There’s so much that we can build on. It was such a minimal amount of minutes (Saturday). It was just about making it happen and getting it going and getting this started with the two of them on the floor together.”

 FORGETFUL THIRD QUARTER

If the Storm’s momentum slowed in the second quarter, it came to a full stop in the third quarter.  The Storm scored a mere 10 points in the third quarter, made 3 of 14 field goal attempts, and had six turnovers.  Howard continued her hot shooting, connecting on 5 of 6 field attempts to lead the Lynx with 11 third-quarter points. Rookie guard Olivia Miles showed her floor general skills, dished out five assists, and scored five points.  The  Lynx started the quarter on a 10-run from which the Storm never recovered, as the quarter ended with the Lynx holding a commanding 71-53 lead.

UNABLE TO SUMMOUNT A COMEBACK

The poor shooting continued into the fourth quarter for the Storm, who made 4/15 shots from the field. The bright spot in the quarter was the 6/8 free-throw shooting. The Lynx continued their relentless shooting, making 8/16 shots from the floor.  The Storm was unable to build any offensive momentum on its way to a fifth straight defeat.

GAME NOTES

KEY STATS OF THE GAME 

• The Storm drained 11 three-pointers, including nine in the first half, a season high.  
• Seattle grabbed 10 offensive rebounds, marking the third time this season the team has secured 10 or more boards on the offensive glass. 

STORM HIGHLIGHTS 

• Natisha Hiedeman tallied 14 points, five assists, four rebounds and three stealsin her first game against her former team. She made three three-pointers and shot 100% from the free-throw line. 
• Jade Melbourne recorded 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting and four rebounds. She led the team from the free-throw line, going 5-for-5. 
• Flau’jae Johnson added 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal. 

LYNX HIGHLIGHTS 

• Natasha Howard led the Lynx with 27 points on 12-for-16 shooting. Olivia Miles added 19 points and six assists. 

UP NEXT: The Storm heads to Las Vegas for a matchup against the Aces on Monday, June 8. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. PT and will be broadcast nationally on USA Network and locally on the CW Seattle. The game will also be available to stream on Prime for users in Washington State.