Magbegor’s thunderous performance not enough as Storm fall to Mystics, 73-66.
By Bel Garcia, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - It was another hard-fought battle for the Seattle Storm as they faced the Washington Mystics. Seattle, coming off their first season win, were placed in a tough position. Their superstar player and the league’s leading scorer, Jewell Loyd, was ruled out of the game with a foot injury. Veteran guard Sami Whitcomb was named a starter in place of Loyd, and so Seattle faced adversity with a rookie lineup and their leader on the bench. The Storm kept it close, but went on to lose their fifth game of the season and first of a back-to-back against Washington, 73-66.
Seattle Storm guard Sami Whitcomb (#32) started in place of injured Jewell Loyd tonight (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
The Storm fared well in the first quarter, and although we were looking at one specific player to fill the shoes of Loyd’s position, it was the whole team who took the next woman up mentality. Guard Arella Guirantes saw some minutes in the quarter and contributed points off the bench, as well as Ivana Dojkic, and Jade Melbourne. Melbourne had a saucy crossover and drive down the lane for the And-1. The production level in the second half while watching on the court looked high, but the stat sheet said otherwise, attributing every Storm player to negative efficiency when on the floor. They were outscored by the Mystics in the second quarter, which was led by better shooting from beyond the arc. The Mystics cashed in four of their five first half three-pointers in the second quarter, increasing their overall percentage by 20% from the three. Washington gave themselves a double-digit lead going into the half, and they would not give up their lead for the entirety of the game.
Seattle Storm forward Jordan Horston continues to make positive strides (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Seattle forward Jordan Horston, who had a career high in Seattle’s first win, was a spark off the bench once again. The rookie was not much of an offensive weapon in the first half, but was contributing in other ways. At the half, she led the team in rebounds, all of them coming from the defensive end of the ball. She continued to be aggressive on defense, switching onto Washington’s Elena Delle Donne, or providing extra coverage on the double team when needed. That was the case until the third quarter when she, alongside Ezi Magbegor, helped their team cut the deficit to eight and put them in position to compete for the win. Jordan did cool down in the fourth quarter, and missed some open layups that would have been helpful in a rally, but overall there are little places where some clean ups need to be made and she can only improve from here.
Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor continues to improve, now age 23, as she scored a career high 24-points tonight (Photos by Bryan Saldana)
Storm center Ezi Magbegor’s growth was displayed in great length’s tonight, as she understood that she had to be aggressive and look for her shots. She kept up with Delle Donne in the first half, both leading their teams with 11 points, but pulled away in the second half. Magbegor is become more confident shooting from the outside and attempting threes, but where she really thrived was in the lane. Ezi was 10-16 from the field and ended the night with a career-high 24 points. She was driving to the basket with efficiency, strength and knocking down shots when the team needed them most. Magbegor also continues to be aggressive on defense, recording her fourth straight game with three blocks. Magbegor and Loyd have the potential to be a great scoring duo if they can get into rhythm at the same time.
After defensive adjustments were made in the second half, Seattle shut Delle Donne down. The two-time MVP did not score any points outside of the first half, 8 of her 11 came in the first quarter, but Washington got contributions from Brittney Sykes and Shakira Austin to maintain their lead and get the win. A rematch will be held on Sunday, which is also Sue Bird’s jersey retirement ceremony, taking place after the game.