Nneka's Game-Winner Leads Storm Over Mystics 84-82

Storm earn their third win in a row after Ogwumike's late-game heroics.

(Washington, D.C.) - It took a full 40-minute effort, but the Seattle Storm (20-18) escaped the Nation’s Capital with an 84-82 victory. Brittney Sykes hit a clutch three in the final 20 seconds, and Nneka Ogwumike sank the game-winner as time expired to give the Storm their third win in a row. It was a welcome sign for a team that has been on the wrong end of a lot of these close games lately. Earlier in August, the Storm became the first WNBA team in history to lose five games in a row by four points or less each game. After their 84-82 win against the Mystics, they’ve moved up into the 6th seed in the WNBA playoff standings.

Not only did Ogwumike knock down the game-winner, but she also carried the team to victory on Sunday. She finished with a season-high 30 points on 11-15 FG. That included a career-high 6-7 FG from beyond the three-point arc. She also had six rebounds.

In total, five Storm players scored in double figures. Dominique Malonga continued her late-season push, with another double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. The 19-year-old also had three steals and a blocked shot. Skylar Diggins also had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 assists. Both Gabby Williams and Brittney Sykes scored 10 points each. Williams added five steals and Sykes added two more as the Storm doubled the Mystics 12-6 in steals.

The Storm lost most of the statistical categories in this game, but had the advantage in a couple of key areas. They forced Washington into 20 turnovers and outscored them 19-14 in points off turnovers. Both teams shot very well from beyond the arc, but Seattle made four additional three-pointers, giving them 12 more points from long distance. Despite losing the rebounding battle overall, they had a 10-3 advantage in offensive rebounds and a 10-6 edge in second-chance points. Thanks to Malonga’s strong performance, Seattle’s reserves outscored Washington’s bench 18-15.

Washington Mystics

Four Mystics players scored in double figures. Shakira Austin scored a career-high 30 points on 10-15 FG. She was also a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Austin took nearly as many free throw attempts by herself as the Storm had as a team. The Mystics were a +6 from the foul line (16-18 FT to 10-13 FT). Austin was also a menace on the defensive end with four big blocks.

Outside of Shakira, the Mystics’ two All-Star rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, both played well. Citron finished with 14 points on 6-12 FG, six rebounds, and four steals. Iriafen added 12 points and six rebounds. Veteran Stefanie Dolson gave Washington a big boost off the bench. She had 11 points on a perfect 4-4 FG, five rebounds, and three assists.

Washington outshot Seattle 51% (30-59 FG) to 43% (32-74 FG). They were also excellent from deep range, knocking down 55% (6-11 FG) from beyond the three-point line. They made 89% of their free throws. They out-rebounded Seattle 34-31. They had a slight 42-38 advantage with points in the paint and 14-13 in fast break points.

With the loss to Seattle, the Washington Mystics’ playoff hopes are on life support. They fall to 16-22 on the season. D.C. is 3.5 games behind the Indiana Fever, who currently hold the 8th and final playoff spot, and the Mystics have six games left to play. Washington has lost four games in a row and seven out of their last 10.

Of course, for the youngest team in the WNBA, adding another lottery pick to the young core of Shakira Austin, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen is ultimately probably the better long-term move for the franchise. The Mystics could easily become one of the top contenders in a few years when other teams like New York, Las Vegas, and even Seattle get older.

Game Breakdown

Gabby Williams connected on a pull-up jumper for the game’s first basket. Kiki Iriafen matched her on the other end. Brittney Sykes got to the rim for two. Ezi Magbegor made a nice left hook near the rim. Skylar Diggins made an athletic move through the defense for the layup. After another Seattle stop, Diggins found Nneka Ogwumike open for a three-pointer. That put the Storm ahead 11-2 just two minutes into the game and forced Mystics’ Coach Sydney Johnson to call a timeout.

Out of the timeout, Kiki Iriafen blew past Nneka Ogwumike. Iriafen scored again on a quick jumper in transition. Gabby Williams answered with a three. Magbegor made another shot. Ezi then forced Kiki into a travel coming from the helpside defense. Sonia Citron curled around the corner and buried a jumper. All of the Mystics’ early points were from their two All-Star rookies.

Brittney Sykes and Stefanie Dolson swapped three-point baskets. Ogwumike put the Storm ahead by 10, but Shakira Austin immediately answered on the other end. Austin then scored again in the low post against Dominique Malonga. Nneka scored past Austin with some tricky footwork. Austin was fouled and made two free throws. Ogwumike knocked down another triple at the end of the quarter. The Storm led the Mystics 28-19 after one.

Nneka scored again to start the second period. Austin scored again as those two players continued to exchange baskets on each end. Skylar connected on a three-pointer. Erica Wheeler then found Malonga off the pick-and-roll. Sonia Citron banked in a pull-up jumper. Malonga was blocked by Stefanie Dolson, but grabbed her miss and finished the putback. Kiki banked in another deep two.

Out of the timeout, Diggins found Malonga rolling to the rim for two. Citron got past Sykes at the rim. Then Sug Sutton buried a triple to cut the Storm’s lead down to single digits at 39-30. Malonga scored again.

Washington used an 11-2 run to cut the Storm’s lead down to five at 41-36. Gabby got to the foul line for two.

Seattle jumped out to a quick 5-0 run to begin the third period, but the Mystics responded with baskets from Austin and Citron.

Citron stole the pass from Skylar and was fouled on her layup attempt. Ogwumike knocked down another three, but Alysha Clark countered with one on the other end. Shakira used some nice footwork to score down low. Seattle had a few bad possessions in a row. After a 24-second shot clock violation, a timeout was called.

Austin finished through contact with an AND1. Erica Wheeler had another bad possession that resulted in another 24-second shot clock violation. Stefanie Dolson knocked down a three-pointer to cut it down to three. Despite the big run by the Mystics, Seattle led 67-60 at the end of the third.

There was a lot of contact against Malonga, but no whistle was blown. With Dominique on the floor, the Mystics used a 5-on-4 fast break to find Stefanie Dolson open for three that she cashed in. Dolson scored again on a deep two. Jade Melbourne was fouled on the drive. She made both free throws to tie the game.

The Mystics took the lead on a Shakira Austin basket to the rim. Austin then blocked a shot by Brittney Sykes. Washington extended their lead on a midrange jumper by Austin. Diggins made a nice backdoor cut. The Storm used a 5-0 run to retake a two-point lead. That was capped off by a Malonga deflection that led to a fast break layup for Gabby Williams. They got another steal, and Malonga got ahead of the pack for two. Austin tied the game with two free throws and another layup.

Out of a timeout, Diggins found Sykes open for three with 15 seconds left in the game. Unfortunately, Seattle had a defensive miscommunication on the next possession that allowed Sug Sutton to take an open three. She made it and tied the game at 82-82 with six seconds left. Seattle called a timeout to advance the ball.

As they had done so many times before, Skylar and Nneka got into a two-player action, Ogwumike slipped the screen, and Diggins fed her the ball. Nneka turned away from the defense and put up one of her patented midrange jumpers. The ball bounced around the rim three or four times before falling in as the clock struck zero. Ogwumike was immediately rushed by all her teammates after hitting the game-winner.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (20-18) travel to Indiana next and will face off against the Fever (19-18) on Tuesday, August 26th at 4:00 PM. Seattle moved into the 6th spot in the standings after Sunday’s results, with the Storm winning and the Fever losing. However, the winner of this game will take over the 6th seed. Indiana has won the first two games of the season series (both in Seattle), 94-86 and 78-74. The Fever own the head-to-head tiebreaker, so Seattle will need to finish a full game ahead of them in the standings to be above them.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts and discussion from Sunday’s game against the Washington Mystics. It’ll be sent exclusively to paid subscribers.

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Photo Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography