By Bel Garcia

Seattle, WA - Seattle finally got their starting lineup back with Gabby William’s return from the injury list, but the Aces proveD to be too much for the Storm. One of Becky Hammon’s keys to the game at the start of this one was to win the first five minutes of the opening quarter, a feat that they achieved. In fact, Las Vegas had the lead to end the first quarter. In the first two games of the series, Las Vegas believed the team who led in the first quarter would carry the momentum to the end of the game. It was the last seconds of regulation and five minutes in overtime that mattered most in game three, as Seattle sees themselves down 2-1 in the series after this 110-98 loss.

Seattle trailed for most of the game until the third quarter. Las Vegas was playing small ball once again, as it proved successful for them in game two. On defense, Vegas went with the zone and Seattle found a way to exploit it. The back door cut was working for several Storm players in the third quarter, as they were able to find gaps in the defense, which reverted to open looks in the paint. Based on the stat sheet for the Seattle Storm, this would have “win” written all over it, as every single one of Seattle’s players that played significant minutes scored in double-figures. Tina Charles kept the Storm in the game until the third quarter when other players began to get involved in the scoring. Charles resting allowed Ezi Magbegor some minutes and she was the spark off the bench that the Storm needed. It is such a luxury for Seattle to sit Tina Charles and have a player like Magbegor, who can continue to produce in the game. Seattle continued to get contributions from key players in the second half, it is how they were able to eventually take the lead on the game. Stephanie Talbot also played some tremendous minutes in the fourth quarter, as having given the starting position back to Williams had no effect on Talbot. She scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter, had a couple of key threes to tie and give the Storm the lead in crunch time.

A’ja Wilson once again proved to be too much for Seattle with another double-double, totaling 34 points and elevens rebounds. It seemed like every time the Storm began to create a possible lead for themselves, Wilson had an answer. Wilson’s confidence comes from trusting her teammates to perform, as Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young certainly stepped up when needed the most. Trust, a concept that Coach Hammon has been working on with her players since the start of the season, and something that Wilson and Gray have been working on all season. Having each other’s back as equal threats on the court, as they’ve proven to be a dangerous duo.

The story of the game should have been Sue Bird’s made three with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Storm the two-point lead. A heroic shot by the city’s most winning athlete? A perfect end to the game. But Las Vegas was not going down without a fight, with only .8 seconds to shoot Coach Hammon drew up the most important play of the game. The Aces’ Jackie Young scored a lay-up as the buzzer was going off to send the game into OT. Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum scored most of the points for the Aces in overtime to ice the game and take the series lead. Game four is now a must win for Seattle, as they will fight for their playoff lives on Tuesday night. Tipoff at Climate Pledge Arena for game four is at 7PM PST.

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