By Bel Garcia

Seattle, WA - Two teams that are so evenly matched up faced off tonight in a nail biter at Climate Pledge Arena. The Storm welcomed the Mystics in the first of a three-game series to kick off their playoff run, and Seattle rallied late to win 86-83. Several players scored in double-figures tonight and both teams were at 50% from the field for most of the game. Storm head coach Noelle Quinn has emphasized how important it is for the team to get hot at the right time to make a successful run at a Championship. Before game one, she defined what success looked like to her, “Success is a championship, that is where the bar is set, that is the goal.” Today they inched one step closer to that definition of success.

Coach Quinn also emphasized how important it was to contain players like Alysha Clarke and Elena Delle Donne. A key concept in the game for the Storm, as Delle Donne came alive in the second half to give her team a chance to win the game. It was Jewell Loyd who had a heroic performance for the Storm to help in the late rally, she struggled all night, but came up big when it mattered.

“She pushed through today, in a big way, in a major way. It wasn’t how she started, but how she finished.” – HC Noelle Quinn on Jewell Loyd getting over her defensive struggles.

It’s not the first time that we’ve heard a WNBA player say that this game is a game of runs, but Breanna Stewart mentioned it once again after today’s win. It was a game of runs, but for the Storm those runs came in the form of players getting hot at different quarters. Gabby Williams started the first quarter with confidence and was aggressive on all facets of the court. Midway through the quarter she had contributed to her stat sheet in the form of four points, three assists, three rebounds and one block. Seattle had some turnovers in the second quarter that the Mystics converted to points, keeping the game close going into halftime. It was a quiet first half for both Jewell Loyd and Stewart, as Breanna had nine points in the first half, while Jewell was 0-5 with only two points.

The next player to make a run was Stewie in the third quarter, scoring eleven points for the quarter to help keep the Seattle in the game. Washington Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne went on a run of her own at the end of the third quarter and for the whole fourth quarter to keep the game close. Delle Donne ended the game with 26 points, five assists, and three rebounds and had a response for every shot the Storm made down the stretch. The most important run came from Jewell Loyd late in the game, as she finally saw her shots going in made the crucial decision to continue shooting, brought the Storm within one, and then gave them the lead.

“She went from four to 16 in a hurry, got to the free throw line. Sometimes when you’re struggling getting to the free throw line helps you out.” – Mystics head coach Mike Thibault on Loyd’s performance.

Both the Mystics and the Storm emphasized how evenly matched the players on these teams are. Elena Delle Donne believes that the little things will make the difference in who wins the series as the little things will amount to big things. That was certainly the difference in this one as a costly turnover from Natasha Cloud and a huge rebound by Tina Charles affected the outcome. Seattle will approach this game by game until a series winner is named, they understand that it’s going to be a battle and that’s why they must protect home court advantage. Game two of the series is a Sunday day game, depending on the outcome the Storm will move on or travel to Washington DC for game three.

https://www.whereweconverge.com/circling-seattle-sports