Storm earn statement win over Sun, 72-61
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - It’s been quite the start to the 2024 WNBA season for the Seattle Storm. Going 1-3 in their first four games, the Storm have won nine of their last 12 games after defeating the league’s best Connecticut Sun (13-3), by a score of 72-61.
The Seattle Storm players wore special 25th anniversary season shirts during shootaround and pregame, ahead of their win against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024 at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Kevin Ng)
What the opening frame lacked in offensive production was replaced by a superb showing on defense from both squads, limiting each other below 35 percent shooting from the floor and denying the three-pointer as neither team made a shot from behind the line. No Storm player had more than two points, ending the quarter with eight. Sun players Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones combined for all of Connecticut’s 14 points.
Early in the second quarter is when Seattle’s offense kicked into overdrive after yet another slow start. Down 11 points, the Storm ended the half on a 17-3 run fueled by their intensity and coordination on defense. This included consecutive possessions where wing Jordan Horston corralled a rebound to start a fast break and connected with forward Ezi Magbegor for a layup in transition.
The budding connection between Magbegor and Horston grows daily. They’re each other’s “accountability partner” which means a lot more than making sure each other shows up on time for practice and such.
“We’re locked in. I’ve seen a step up in her guard skills. She played more in the post last year. The way she’s able to push the ball in transition. I know she loves scanning the floor so I’m ready for those outlet passes, and she did a great job at that today.”
In their win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024 at Climate Pledge Arena, two big players for the Seattle Storm were Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston. (Photos by Kevin Ng)
Horston ended the game with ten points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. After a season-high 18 points off the bench in the road loss to the Aces, she now has three consecutive games in double-digit scoring.
With a couple of free throws from Loyd, Seattle had their first lead at 30-28, heading into the locker room at the half with a 34-31 lead.
Connecticut recovered the lead at 42-41, but Ogwumike drilled a three-pointer to put Seattle up for good with 4:17 left in the third. Seattle was 1-for-12 from deep before her make.
The Storm outscored the Sun 21-17, thanks to an 11-4 run in the third quarter, and took a 55-48 lead to the final frame.
Seattle’s defense was the best on Sunday that it’s been all season and it showed with how they defended Thomas. They limited her to just one field goal attempt in the final ten minutes, essentially taking Connecticut’s best player out of the game in a way no team has all season.
“We are well aware that we have an opportunity to put our imprint on our season right here because we don’t have to travel. We can stay in the comfort of our home, but it’s not just about being comfortable it’s about having the mindset of taking advantage of an opportunity to play in front of our fans.”
“To use that momentum and energy to drive us in these games. Having practice times to get better. … We’re well aware of this as a stretch that we can potentially do really good things.”
Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith lets out some relief following a big three-pointer, as her teammates surround her, in the teams win over the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday, June 23rd, 2024. (Photos by Kevin Ng)
What’s next?
Following today’s big Sunday afternoon victory over the Connecticut Sun, giving them just their third loss of the season and the first head-to-head battle against them since 2021, the Seattle Storm will continue their historic nine-game homestand a few days from now. After a day off then two practice days, the Storm will battle the Indiana Fever for the third time this season when they host them on Thursday, June 27th at Climate Pledge Arena with a tipoff time of 7PM PDT that will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, FOX 13+ / Amazon Prime Video - Seattle, MeTV Indianapolis. The first time these teams met was here in Seattle, as the Storm held on late to defeat the Fever despite a late push, and their last meeting in Indiana put a strong effort together in a blowout victory. After a rough start to the season, Indiana has had some time to get practice in and have been playing better since the beginning of the year, so this may pose as more of a challenge to Seattle than the earlier contests. After this big win over Connecticut, the Storm are looking to use this major homestand to build serious momentum for their season and surge further up the WNBA standings.
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