Behind big performances by Charles and Stewart, Storm takes win over Dream
By Bel Garcia
Seattle, WA - In a Sunday afternoon match up against the Atlanta Dream, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart left it all on the court with dominant double-double performances. Coming back home from Phoenix with a loss to the Mercury, the Storm knew that they had to approach this game with a sense of urgency to get that bounce back win. Seattle keeps it’s second overall spot in the Western Conference, but are two games behind the Las Vegas Aces for the first overall seed. The Storm will now play their final eight games of the 2022 regular season, with six of them coming on the road, including the final three.
Tipoff between the Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream (Photo by Mat Bermudez)
Tina Charles coming in hot
Tina Charles got the start at the Center position for the second game in a row, finding her shot early. Charles quickly had seven points in the first quarter. This was just the beginning for Charles, as she continued to knock down shots all game. Heating up in the second quarter, she elevated her game and added three pointers to her arsenal. After a slight hesitation from beyond the arc, she hit on a wide open three. That would not be the first time that Atlanta would dare her to make a long shot, as the next possession was yet another open three. The second of the back-to-back three pointer for Tina Charles placed her in the WNBA history books, as she became the fourth WNBA player in history to score 7,000 points. She joins elite company as the other players on the list are Tina Thompson, Tamika Catchings, and Diana Taurasi. She was unstoppable in the contest, and at the end of the first half had already recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Charles didn’t take her foot off the gas and had some great defensive plays in the second half as well, recording four blocks in total for the game.
Tina Charles calls for the ball on the block (Photo by Mat Bermudez)
Breanna Stewart helps close
The second half had all the presence of Breanna Stewart, in classic Stewie fashion. She knew the Storm needed her to help close this one out. She was aggressive in her offense, getting to the free throw line and completing 12 of 23 from the charity stripe. However, her impact on the game stretched much further than scoring. The Storm ran a zone defense for most of the game and Stewart was placed up top to defend the guards. When you can’t guard them you foul them, and Stewart had her fair share of being fouled. At the beginning of the third quarter, she was fouled by Naz Hillmon, who was behind her. On a missed possession from the Storm, Stewart darted back on defense and had a Dikembe Mutombo like block on Hillmon to prevent the layup. Breanna Stewart ended the night with a double-double of her own, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Stewie continues to play at an MVP caliber for Seattle.
Breanna Stewart blocks a shot (Photo by Mat Bermudez)
The Atlanta Dream kept the game close, but the Storm were able to pull this one away with the help of their bench presence and the performances of Stewart and Charles. Combined, the two had 50 points, 25 rebounds, and 7 blocks. The last time a statline like this was accomplished, was by Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker in ’08. Seattle looks to continue their winning ways on the road against a top team in the league, the Connecticut Sun. The Storm have not beaten the Sun yet this season, the team that sits right above Seattle for the third best record in the WNBA. Tipoff is at 4PM PST on NBA TV, as the teams battle inside Mohegan Sun Arena.