Storm's Hot Start Enough to Beat Dallas 79-71
Nneka and Skylar led Seattle to the team's first win.
(Arlington, Texas) - The Seattle Storm used a massive second quarter where they outscored the Dallas Wings 31-15 to take control of the game. Their defense held strong in the second half, and that was enough for the team to come away with their first win of the season, 79-71. Seattle scored 56 points in the first half, which was great to see after they scored just 59 points total in their season-opening loss to the Phoenix Mercury.
Seattle’s stars stepped up big. Nneka Ogwumike had a monster double-double with 23 points and 18 rebounds. The 18 rebounds are the most she’s had in a Seattle Storm uniform and just two shy of her career-high. Skylar Diggins finished with 21 points and nine assists. Her 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was significantly better than game one, where she finished with just four assists and four turnovers. After that game, Skylar specifically talked about needing to be better and do a better job at getting her teammates involved. She certainly did on Monday night.
Gabby Williams also stepped up big in Seattle’s victory. Williams finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks while shooting above 50%. Skylar talked about them continuing to pour confidence into Gabby to let her know she’s one of the best players in the world.
After making just 3-17 FG from beyond the arc on Saturday, the Storm knocked down 9-15 FG (60%) from the three-point range against Dallas. In the first half, they made 9-11 FG, which helped them build a 17-point lead early on. Overall, they shot 41% (29-70 FG). The second half brought those numbers down a bit.
Unfortunately, missed free throws have been a common theme through two games. Seattle made just 63% (12-19 FT) from the free throw line. The Storm were out-rebounded for a second game in a row, this time 44-37, despite Ogwumike’s incredible performance in that area.
Seattle did hold the advantage in assists (25-19), fast break points (15-9), and points in the paint (38-32).
Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers looked every bit the #1 overall pick that she is. She finished with a team-high 19 points and eight assists. She also had five rebounds and a couple of steals. She was active on both ends of the floor, scoring for Dallas and getting deflections and steals to slow Seattle’s attack. Bueckers hit one incredibly impressive shot against two Seattle defenders down the baseline. She also showed that strong efficiency she is known for, connecting on 7-14 FG.
Seattle did a much better job defensively against Arike Ogunbowale, who was limited to just eight points on 2-14 FG shooting and 1-8 FG from beyond the arc. NaLyssa Smith finished with 12 points as the only other starter for the Wings to score in double figures. Dallas did get excellent bench production, however. Maddy Siegrist scored 12 points on 5-10 FG shooting, and Teaira McCowan finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. The Wings’ bench outscored Seattle’s 24-5.
Game Breakdown
Nneka Ogwumike scored the game’s first basket. NaLyssa Smith scored for Dallas. Alysha Clark hit a three-pointer early, which was a great sign for Seattle. Arike Ogunbowale and DiJonai Carrington made baskets for the Wings. Gabby hit a jumper for the Storm.
Skylar rimmed a three-ball high off the rim and in to put the Storm ahead 11-8. The Storm scored in transition a couple of times after that. First, Skylar tried to finish at the rim, but Ezi was able to clean it up. Then Diggins found Nneka near the rim for the easy layup.
Paige Bueckers hit a turnaround jumper over Skylar inside the paint. Paige scored again in a baseline out-of-bounds play. Nneka countered with an AND1 on the other end. Teaira McCowan responded with her own AND1 as Seattle had some miscommunication, and Alysha Clark was late on a rotation. Li Yueru looked out of place on that possession as well.
Seattle’s struggles at the Free Throw line continued as Erica Wheeler split a pair. It was the 4th missed free throw in the opening quarter. McCowan got past Li Yueru again and was fouled on another made layup. Gabby Williams and Paige Bueckers countered each other with back-to-back three-pointers. The latter gave Dallas a one-point lead at the end of the first, at 26-25. The Wings outscored the Storm 15-7 over the final four minutes of the quarter.
Myisha Hines-Allen hit a jumper to begin the second period. Alysha Clark made her second three-pointer of the game to tie the game 28-28. Bueckers was fouled on a jump shot and made both free throws. Skylar was fouled on the other end to tie the game again. Diggins connected on another three-pointer. Dallas used some nice passing to find McCowan down low for the easy two.
Skylar hit a tough jumper and was fouled. Then Seattle found Nneka in the corner for three. Gabby got a steal and then drove to the rim for two more. That put Seattle ahead 41-32 as the Storm went on an 11-2 run.
Gabby then hit another three-pointer, it was Seattle’s 7th in the first half after they made just three all game in their season opener. NaLyssa Smith was fouled and split a pair of free throws.
Maddy Siegrist was able to collect her missed free throw and scored on a short jumper in the paint. Bueckers then hit a deep jumper to cut the Storm’s lead down to 13 at 54-41. Dominique Malonga checked in for the first time with about one minute to go in the first half. She was able to collect a defensive rebound and scored at the rim right before the end of the half. The Storm led the Dallas Wings 56-41 through the first 20 minutes. Skylar led the Storm with 16 points. Nneka and Gabby each contributed 13 points.
The Wings exploded with a 6-0 run in less than 90 seconds to begin the third period to cut the Storm’s lead to single digits. The Storm responded quickly with four points from Diggins and Williams. Both teams seemed a bit rushed on offense or out of flow. The Storm scored 17 points through the first five minutes of the first period but just six points through the first five of the third period.
Ezi grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled down the court to create a two-on-one opportunity that ended with a Gabby layup. Paige responded with an incredible fadeaway shot past two defenders. Then Maddy Siegrist drilled a three-ball. Bueckers then got a deflection steal that led to an Arike Ogunbowale fast break. Another triple by Siegrist cut the Storm’s 14-point lead down to five at 64-59 as the Wings went on a 9-0 run.
Teaira McCowan scored down low, but Nneka responded to end the Wings’ big run. The Storm maintained a five-point lead at the end of the third 66-61.
Both teams struggled with their offense to open the fourth quarter. The Storm went the first three minutes without a point. Maddy Siegrist scored at the rim to cut the Storm’s lead down to three, but then Seattle went on a 6-0 run. Nneka hit a midrange jumper, then scored off the pick-and-roll at the rim, and then Ezi scored cutting baseline to the basket.
Bueckers got a big steal and raced down the floor for two to cut the Storm’s lead down to five. However, Nneka was able to score on a putback layup with under 30 seconds to play. Diggins scored one last time in transition, and then Bueckers raced down the court and scored right before the final buzzer. Seattle won the game 79-71 despite being outscored 30-23 in the 2nd half.
Final Box Score
Up Next
The home opener is on Friday, May 23rd at 7:00 PM at Climate Pledge Arena. It’s an early-season rematch against the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury won the first game by 22 points. Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas combined for 47 points in the first game. Seattle will need to find a way to slow them down on Friday.
Part 2
Part 2 with additional thoughts, quotes, and discussion will be sent out to paid subscribers tomorrow early in the morning. There will be more on Paige Bueckers and other WNBA rookies, Arike, Coach Quinn’s limited bench usage, and more.
Notes:
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Why did Quinn leave Yueru in for so long when she produced nothing? and why did she give Malonga only about 1-1/2 minutes when she scored more than Yerura?