Storm Fall Short to Sky 95-90
Seattle's late-game run wasn't enough to pull off the victory.
(Chicago, Illinois) - A slow first half doomed the Seattle Storm (6-20) despite a strong surge to end the game. The Chicago Sky (8-16) shot 60% overall and knocked down six three-pointers in the opening half to build a 12-point lead. They carried a double-digit lead throughout the majority of the game until the Storm used a 9-0 run in the middle of the 4th quarter to cut the deficit to two. Ultimately, Chicago did just enough down the stretch, and Seattle ran out of time, as the Sky held on for the 95-90 victory.
Seattle had five players score in double figures. Flau’jae Johnson had an excellent game, leading the team with 25 points on 11-17 FG. She contributed all over the box score with six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block. Dominique Malonga was a monster on the glass again, following up her 15-rebound performance on Sunday, with 12 rebounds in this game. Malonga had a slow start on offense and struggled from the floor (6-16 FG), but finished strong with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Rookie Awa Fam had some nice moments, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. She was able to get inside a bit more to score in the paint instead of hovering around the perimeter all game. I spoke with her about that afterwards.
“Yeah, I like that. I have more confidence in my three-point shot, but I like that, like, I’m a center, I was doing this when I was in Valencia, so I come here. I know that I can do that. And I know who is my defender, so today, I know that I have more advantages, maybe in the paint. One thing that I was thinking that, okay, maybe today I need to be more in the paint. That’s one thing that I was thinking, and I know that I need to do it more.” Fam said.
Jade Melbourne added 11 points on 4-7 FG and a team-high five assists. Katie Lou Samuelson had one of her better games of the season, contributing 11 points on 4-4 FG off the bench. Per the TV broadcast, she was the first bench player for Seattle to score in double figures since their June 22nd game against the Dallas Wings.
The Storm out-rebounded the Sky 45-29, including 16-6 on the offensive glass. Malonga had seven offensive rebounds by herself, one more than the Sky had as a team. Seattle had the edge with points in the paint (56-46), fast break points (17-6), and second-chance points (16-11).
Chicago Sky
Despite not having Kamilla Cardoso, Skylar Diggins, or DiJonai Carrington due to injuries, the Chicago Sky had five players score in double figures. They were led by Azurá Stevens, who scored 20 points on 8-16 FG. She also had a team-high eight rebounds. Rookie Sydney Taylor added 17 points and five rebounds. Natasha Cloud contributed 13 points and a team-high six assists and four steals.
Chloe Bibby and Gabriela Jaquez added 14 and 10 points off the bench. They helped Chicago’s reserves outscore Seattle’s 32-18, which was one of the deciding factors in the game.
Chicago narrowly outshot Seattle 47% (35-74 FG) to 46% (36-78 FG), but it was their advantage from beyond the arc (+21 points) that allowed them to carry the lead throughout the game. They outshot the Storm 34% (11-32 FG) to 16% (4-25 FG) from the 3-PT line.
Game Breakdown
Azurá Stevens knocked down a corner three-pointer to open the scoring. Natisha Hiedeman connected on a dribble-drive into the paint. Natasha Cloud responded with a reverse layup down the baseline. Flau’jae Johnson had a beautiful steal fighting over the screen and raced down the court for the open layup. Cloud added a pair from the free throw line.
Awa Fam sealed her defender off and scored easily in the paint, then immediately had a big rejection on the defensive end. Sydney Taylor used an athletic drive up and under defenders and finished at the rim. Stevens knocked down another corner triple to put the Sky ahead 12-10. Flau’jae added a midrange jumper.
Stevens knocked down her third three-pointer of the opening frame. Jacy Sheldon drove past Hiedeman for a layup. After another midrange jumper by Johnson for Seattle, Chloe Bibby drilled a wing triple to extend the Sky’s lead to seven at 21-14, forcing Coach Sonia Raman to call a timeout.
Katie Lou Samuelson connected on a three-pointer at the top of the arc. Gabriela Jaquez scored in the paint through some contact. Bibby added an And-1 at the end of the quarter. Chicago led 26-19 after the first period.
Seattle opened up the second quarter with back-to-back baskets from Dominique Malonga and Katie Lou Samuelson to cut their deficit to three. But then the Sky responded with a 10-0 run that included back-to-back triples from Taylor and Rachel Banham. Both teams turned the ball over, which ultimately led to a wide-open layup for Samuelson. Johnson and Taylor swapped baskets.
Malonga added two free throws, but Chicago countered with scores from Stevens and Taylor. Flau’jae added another finger roll. Fam scored again in the paint over the smaller defender. Stevens answered with an And-1 on the other end. Katie Lou was fouled from beyond the arc and made two of three from the line. Seattle was unable to eat into the Sky’s lead as Taylor added another free throw, and Stevens scored down low. A free throw by Natasha Cloud pushed the score to 49-35.
Fam added five quick points inside the paint and from the arc to cut the deficit to single digits. Stevens, Courtney Vandersloot, and Gabriela Jaquez poured in more points to end the first half as the Sky led the Storm 56-44. Flau’jae led Seattle with 16 points on 8-10 FG in the first half. Azurá Stevens led the Sky with 18 points on 7-10 FG. The Storm had a 25-12 advantage in rebounding, while the Sky shot 60% overall and 40% from beyond the arc.
Jade Melbourne got to the rim and was fouled for the And-1 to open up the 2nd half. Elizabeth Williams scored on the mismatch down low. Hiedeman got to the rim for two. Vandersloot knocked down a corner three and added a pair of free throws a couple of plays later. In between that, Melbourne hit a step-back three-pointer.
Chloe Bibby knocked down a corner three. Malonga scored down low. Fam added a three-pointer. Bibby got another one. Jaquez got to the rim. Flau’jae hit another deep two. Zia Cooke made a dribble pull-up near the foul line. Cooke added two more from the line. The Storm ended the third period on a 10-4 run, with baskets from Katie Lou and Hiedeman. The Sky remained ahead 77-69.
Banham knocked down a triple to open the final period. Dom Malonga drove straight down the lane for the easy two. Flau’jae got to the rim again to cut the deficit to seven. Natasha Cloud drilled a three-ball to push the lead back to double-digits. After a score by Malonga, Sydney Taylor answered with an And-1.
Malonga scored again inside the paint. Seattle used a 9-0 run that was capped off by a Johnson three-pointer that cut Chicago’s lead down to two (86-84). The Storm had multiple chances to tie the game or cut it to one, but they couldn’t convert. Natasha Cloud buried a three-pointer to push the Sky’s lead back up by six with 1:35 to go in the game.
After a couple of empty possessions, Jade Melbourne intercepted a pass and raced down the court for the score, and was fouled by Taylor. Melbourne finished the And-1 opportunity to make it a one-possession game with 46 seconds to go. Courtney Vandersloot found Stevens on the mismatch down low to seal the victory. Malonga scored one last basket with eight seconds to play, but Seattle was forced to foul, and Cloud added two more free throws to end the game. Chicago held the Storm off to win 95-90.
Final Box Score
Up Next
The Seattle Storm (6-20) finish their 5-game road trip as they head to Indiana to take on the Fever (14-9) at 4:30 p.m. Indiana won the first meeting 89-78, a game in which Aliyah Boston did not play. Caitlin Clark is currently listed as a game-time decision with the lower back issue that she’s been dealing with all season long.
Notes:
Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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