Storm Hang Tough in 101-91 Loss to Aces

Seattle showed a lot of promising signs despite the loss.

(Las Vegas, Nevada) - The Seattle Storm (3-10) lost their 6th game in a row on Monday night, but they played the defending champions very tough. They led by two points after the first period, and hung around all game. Despite the incredible firepower of the Las Vegas Aces (8-3), Seattle was never completely out of it. They just couldn’t get enough stops to turn the tide in their favor down the stretch. Ultimately, the Storm fell 101-91 to the Aces.

Four players scored in double figures. Seattle was led by Dominique Malonga despite her being limited to 17 minutes due to foul trouble. Malonga finished with 19 points on 7-12 FG and five rebounds. The Storm outscored the Aces by eight points while she was on the floor, but were outscored by 18 when she was on the bench. Dom looked excellent in her second game back from her concussion. Her physicality against A’ja Wilson in the first period was particularly impressive.

Natisha Hiedeman had another strong game. She scored 17 points on 6-12 FG, including 4-6 FG from 3-PT range. She also had five assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Rookie Awa Fam also looked sharp, finishing the game with 16 points on 7-11 FG. Seattle’s other rookie, Flau’jae Johnson, had one of her best performances of the season as well. Johnson contributed 13 points on an efficient 5-9 FG. She also had a team-high seven assists, as she continues to build a strong rapport with Fam on the offensive end.

Seattle’s offense was the best it has looked in at least two weeks. The 91 points were the second-most this season, only behind the 97 points they scored in their win against the Washington Mystics. The Storm shot 45% (33-74 FG) overall and 44% (12-27 FG) from beyond the arc. They had 22 assists, which was a noticeable improvement. They made 13-15 FT (87%). They committed just nine turnovers in this game compared to the Aces’ 13, and outscored Las Vegas 19-10 in points off turnovers. The Storm’s bench outscored the Aces’ reserves 26-7.

Las Vegas Aces

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. The Las Vegas Aces were led by A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. The duo combined for 63 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists. Wilson desperately tried to finish with a triple-double, but fell just one assist shy. She ended the game with 34 points on 10-19 FG, 12 rebounds, nine assists, and three blocked shots. Wilson became the fastest player in WNBA history to score 6,000 points or more, surpassing Diana Taurasi.

Young added 29 points, also on 10-19 FG shooting, and six assists. Young scored 14 points in the 4th quarter to seal the victory for Las Vegas. She totaled 22 of her 29 points in the 2nd half.

Vegas had four players score in double figures. NaLyssa Smith added 16 points and nine rebounds, as she continues to be an excellent complementary piece for A’ja Wilson. Smith scored 11 of those points in the 2nd period. Chelsea Gray remains a stone-cold killer. She finished with 12 points on 5-10 FG, with eight assists, and five rebounds. Gray hit some ridiculous clutch shots as she’s known to do.

The Aces’ offense was very sharp. They shot 50% (35-70 FG) and 36% (10-28 FG) from beyond the arc. They made 21-24 FT with A’ja Wilson converting 11-13 from the line. They out-rebounded Seattle 39-27, including an 11-6 advantage in offensive rebounds. That allowed them to outscore the Storm 17-8 in second-chance points. The home team assisted on 27 of their 35-made baskets.

Game Breakdown

NaLyssa Smith scored in the low post for the game’s first basket. Flau’jae Johnson answered with a stepback jumper. Seattle’s defense forced a shot clock violation, and then Awa Fam scored on a midrange jumper. Another steal led to a fast break layup for Dominique Malonga. Malonga scored again from an offensive rebound to put Seattle ahead 8-2. The Aces answered with four straight by A’ja Wilson. Malonga scored again with a banker in the paint.

Natisha Hiedeman used a little fake spin move in the short corner for the jumper. Wilson forced her way to the foul line and made both free throws. A turnover by Jade Melbourne resulted in a fast break pull-up jumper for Jackie Young. That forced Coach Sonia Raman into a timeout.

Melbourne was fouled at the rim and made both free throws. Wilson got the And-1 after baiting Stefanie Dolson into a foul on a jump shot. Wilson scored again to give the Aces their first lead of the game at 15-14. Wilson added three more points from the line to extend Las Vegas’s lead. Seattle responded with a corner three by Mackenzie Holmes, and Katie Lou Samuelson got an open steal and score. The home team regained the lead on a pair of Jackie Young free throws.

Dom Malonga checked back into the game and scored four in a row. Young tied the game with a score from an offensive rebound. Malonga was fouled against A’ja and made both free throws. Seattle led 25-23 at the end of the first period.

Jewell Loyd scored from another offensive rebound. Chelsea Gray added an outside jumper as the Aces regained the lead by two. Zia Cooke responded with a three-pointer. NaLyssa Smith scored an And-1 and was on the receiving end of a beautiful no-look pass from Chelsea Gray. Cooke got a lucky bounce on another three-point attempt. Smith had another And-1 from inside the paint when she beat Dolson down the floor. The Aces continued to find Smith down low for points. Gray then bullied her way past Hiedeman inside for two. That put the Aces ahead by six (37-31) and forced Coach Raman to call another timeout.

Smith had another And-1 as she tallied her 11th point of the period. Wilson tallied four more points from the line. Katie Lou Samuelson knocked down a three-pointer. Awa Fam stole the ball away from Cheyenne Parker and laid it in. Wilson scored on one of her patented midrange jumpers over the extended arms of both Fam and Jordan Horston. Fam made a three, and then Flau’jae found Fam off the pick-and-roll for the easy layup.

Chelsea Gray knocked down a three ball. Flau’jae Johnson beat Gray in transition at the rim. At the end of the first half, the Las Vegas Aces led 50-43 over the Seattle Storm. Las Vegas outshot Seattle 49% (16-33 FG) to 41% (17-42 FG). The home team out-rebounded the Storm 21-14 through the first two quarters. They also had an 18 to 4 free throw advantage. Las Vegas was a +12 from the foul line. Seattle’s bench outscored the Aces’ reserves 16-2 in the first half.

Jackie Young opened up the 2nd half with a pull-up jumper. Chelsea Gray sank a fadeaway jumper to put the Aces ahead by double digits. Fam made a nice pass to Flau’jae that resulted in Johnson getting fouled. After two made free throws, Hiedeman quickly stole the ball and scored. Young scored on back-to-back possessions to extend their lead back to 11.

Out of the timeout, Hiedeman sank a three-pointer. Katie Lou scored down low on another nice pass from Fam. A’ja scored again, but Fam scored on a jumper off the pocket pass from Hiedeman. Wilson drilled a corner three. Hiedeman immediately answered with a triple on the other end, which forced Coach Becky Hammon to call a timeout as Seattle had pulled to within six.

Young immediately scored. A’ja knocked down another corner three. Jewell Loyd then stole the ball away from Mackenzie Holmes, which eventually resulted in a corner three-pointer by Loyd. That gave the Aces their largest lead to that point, ahead by 13. They led 72-59 at the end of the third period.

Malonga knocked down a three at the top of the arc to open up the final frame. Gray scored on a turnaround fadeaway despite excellent defense by Johnson. Jade Melbourne turned the ball over, but then stole the ball right back and raced down the lane for two. Flau’jae then attacked the rim and added two more. That forced Coach Hammon to call another timeout.

Johnson and Young swapped three-point baskets. Malonga added two more from the line to cut the Storm’s deficit down to seven (79-72). Cooke fouled Young on a three-point attempt, and Jackie made all three. Fam added an And-1 to keep Seattle within striking distance.

Seattle wasn’t able to get the defensive stops it needed. Young and Wilson scored multiple times. Both teams combined to knock down four three-pointers in a row. After a nice turnaround fadeaway by Malonga over A’ja, Jackie Young drilled another triple to put Las Vegas ahead by 14. After a Fam basket, Young hit another three to give the Aces their largest lead of the game, ahead by 15. Flau’jae and Hiedeman scored the last five points of the game as Seattle lost 101-91 to the defending champions.

Final Box Score

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional commentary, analysis, and interviews. It will be sent to paid subscribers tomorrow.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (3-10) will head home to host the LA Sparks (5-6) on Wednesday, 6/10 at 7:00 PM PT. It’ll be the first matchup between the two teams and the return of Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler to Seattle.

Notes:
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Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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