Storm clears the Sky, 84-71
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Slow starts have plagued the Storm as of late. Enduring a scoreless stretch over the first six minutes of action in the first quarter, Storm forward Ezi Magbegor ended the cold spell with a layup.
Seattle Storm forward/center Ezi Magbegor played a key role in today’s win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday, July 7th, 2024 at Climate Pledge Arena, continuing her case for defensive player of the year. (Photos by Marriah Menchaca)
Naught for effort was the drought, but of the Sky’s interior presence. Rookie center Kamilla Cardoso collected eight rebounds in the first seven minutes where five came off the offensive glass. She also had two blocks in that span. Cardoso might not always get the block, but her length forced Seattle into an uncharacteristic method of play for most of the opening frame.
The Storm caught a wind in the second quarter, when point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith netted a three-pointer, igniting a 15-5 run. She finished with 15 points and nine assists, becoming the 34th WNBA player with at least 4,500 career points. She is also the 7th player with 4,500+ points, 1,375+ assists, ad 325+ three-pointers made, reaching the milestone in the 273rd game of her career, the fewest in such an esteemed class by 47 games.
After Magbegor forced a turnover, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn caught the ball as it was making it’s way out of bounds and jokingly ran the baseline imitating a fastbreak push to the enjoyment of 11,283 fans in attendance at Climate Pledge Arena. Moments like these can turn a game on it’s head, which backup guard Sami Whitcomb joined in on the fun with back-to-back three pointers, giving the Storm the lead at 23-22.
All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike had two crucial layups during the sequence. She finished with a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds, good for her fifth double-double of the season and 106th of her career.
Seattle couldn’t maintain the momentum as Chicago mounted a 10-0 run that was engineered by All-Star rookie Angel Reese with five points. She finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, crowning her as first WNBA player with 13 consecutive double-doubles, passing Candace Parker’s record of 12.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese added another double-double to her impressive season, continuing to build a strong resume for rookie of the year. (Photos by Marriah Menchaca)
Storm guard Jewell Loyd was largely absent in the first half, scoring two points from the free-throw line after going scoreless through the first 17 minutes of the game. “The Gold Mamba” came alive in the second half for 17 points, jumpstarting a massive 18-6 push to start the third quarter. Loyd finished with 20 points, two rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Seattle outscored Chicago 29-14 in that third quarter, giving them a seven-point lead heading into the final frame. After picking up her fifth foul near the 3:20 mark, Diggins-Smith refused to lessen her intensity, which worked right in the Storm’s favor. After a 10-0 Sky run that brought the deficit with a two-possession game, she got the ball in a spot for forward Jordan Horston to find a cutting Magbegor for a layup, giving Seattle a seven-point lead at 76-69 with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter. Magbegor ended the game with 13 points and 13 rebounds. She now has six double-doubles on the season.
Magbegor continued to make her presence felt in the waning minutes of the game. After pulling down a rebound, she pushed the break and found a dashing Diggins-Smith, who ended up at the free-throw line. Missing one of her attempts, Diggins-Smith made up for with a dagger from three, giving Seattle a commanding 80-69 lead with just under a minute left of play, eventually winning, 84-71.
What’s next?
Following today’s win over the Chicago Sky, taking the season series over them with this win in game two over the span of three days, our Seattle Storm will have three days before their next contest when they battle the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday, July 10th for “STORM INTO STEM KIDS DAY” presented by Department of Health and Pacific Science Center with a tipoff time of 12PM PDT at Climate Pledge Arena, being broadcast live on ESPN Las Vegas 1100 AM & 100.9 FM, FOX 13+ / Amazon Prime Video - Seattle, Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network. This will be the seventh game of the teams historic nine-game homestand, as they battle the Aces for the third time this season and just the first at home this year. It’ll be a fun battle for two teams near the top of the WNBA’s Western Conference, as the Aces have won seven of their last eight games, while the Storm have won five of their last six contests.
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Check out Circling Seattle Sports’ previous Seattle Storm articles here.
Cover photos and photos in this article by Circling Seattle Sports’ Marriah Menchaca. Check out her portfolio here.
Check out Circling Seattle Sports’ previous articles written by Christan Braswell here, and follow Christan on Twitter.
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