Turnovers Cost Storm in 86-76 Defeat

The Minnesota Lynx forced Seattle into 19 turnovers.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm (6-23) dropped their 6th game in a row after losing to the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (22-6) by a final score of 86-76. The young Seattle squad stayed competitive throughout most of the game, but a poor second-half performance where they were outscored 42-31 was too much to overcome. The third quarter was the main difference, where the Lynx outscored Seattle by nine points and forced them into seven turnovers.

The home team had four starters score in double figures. Dominique Malonga led the way with 21 points on 9-13 FG. She also added nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Flau’jae Johnson added 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists, but committed a game-high six turnovers as she tried to force the action. To Johnson’s credit, she really tried to will the team to a win late in the game, after she collected her own offensive rebound, finished at the rim through contact, then stole the ball on the next possession for another layup. You could sense her desire to win in the building. I asked Coach Sonia Raman about that after the game.

“She’s a competitor, so she’s gonna be out there. She’s gonna battle, you know, play through mistakes, next play. That’s kind of the mantra for all of our players.” Raman stated.

Awa Fam added her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Natisha Hiedeman added 12 points, but shot 4-13 FG, including 1-7 FG from beyond the arc.

Overall, both teams struggled with their shooting. Seattle connected on 41% (30-74 FG) while holding Minnesota to 39% (31-79 FG). The Lynx were better from beyond the arc, a key to their victory. The Storm out-rebounded the road team 41-36. Seattle had a slight edge with points in the paint (48-42) and outpaced Minnesota in fast break points (15-6).

Minnesota Lynx

Napheesa Collier made her 2026 WNBA debut, and it looked like she picked up right where she ended her near-MVP campaign of 2025. Collier finished with a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Kayla McBride added 20 points, including 3-6 FG from the 3-PT line. Olivia Miles was relatively kept in check, but still had some strong moments. She finished with 13 points and six assists. Natasha Howard rounded out the starters with 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Courtney Williams was held in check and was in foul trouble all game long. She finished with 0 points on 0-5 FG and five fouls. She tied Miles with a game-high six assists.

Minnesota was +12 points from long distance and shot 39% from beyond the arc. They made four more free throws than Seattle. But most importantly, they forced the Storm into 19 turnovers, and outscored Seattle 19-10 in points off turnovers. They had the edge in assists (23-18) and steals (13-7). While they lost the rebounding battle overall, they had a 15-11 edge in offensive rebounds, and that was a backbreaker.

Game Breakdown

Seattle collected two offensive rebounds on their first possession, which led to a trip to the line for Flau’jae Johnson. Johnson split the two free throws, then Natasha Howard sank a floater in the lane. Olivia Miles got out in transition and was fouled to put Minnesota ahead 4-1. Natisha Hiedeman got to the rim for two. Dominique Malonga scored with deep post position. Seattle took the lead on a Hiedeman transition score. Kayla McBride punched back with a three-pointer to give Minnesota the one-point lead.

Malonga answered back with a corner three-ball. Howard connected on a midrange jumper. Hiedeman added four more points to push Seattle’s lead to 14-10. McBride drilled a three-pointer in Flau’jae’s face and had something to say after. Johnson rushed down the other end to score. McBride then drew a foul beyond the arc against Johnson. She made all three to tie the game at 16-16.

Awa Fam broke the tie with a three-pointer. Napheesa Collier checked back in and scored her first basket of the 2026 season. Malonga scored again near the rim. At the end of the first, Seattle led Minnesota 22-18.

Dominique Malonga scored inside the paint. Nia Coffey forced her way to the basket. Malonga converted again near the rim. McBride countered with another three-pointer. Olivia Miles started to take over, scoring on multiple possessions for Minnesota. Jade Melbourne beat Miles to the hoop for a layup. Zia Cooke and McBride exchanged scores in the paint.

Both teams went back and forth scoring on almost every possession. Scores by Miles, Collier, Coffey, Johnson, and Cooke kept the game within one possession for both teams. After an Awa Fam three-pointer, Napheesa Collier tied the game with an easy layup at 41-41.

Malonga had a big block on Collier, then received the outlet pass to finish at the other end. Fam scored with a nice move inside. Collier knocked down a three-pointer. At the end of the first half, the Storm led 45-44.

Seattle outshot Minnesota 48% (19-40 FG) to 43% (18-42 FG). The home team had a 24-16 edge in rebounding as well. Kayla McBride led all scorers with 16 points. Dominique Malonga led Seattle with 13 at the midway point.

Napheesa Collier opened up the scoring in the second half with a corner triple. Jade Melbourne got to the rim for a layup. Minnesota opened the third period on a 14-4 run and took a nine-point lead, forcing Coach Sonia Raman into a timeout. Seattle had multiple turnovers and missed shots, while the Lynx came out with more energy and aggression. Collier added an And-1, and McBride added an uncontested layup after a turnover by Flau’jae.

Hiedeman made a shot from beyond the arc to cut Seattle’s deficit to six at 58-52. Horston was fouled in transition and split the pair. Maya Caldwell hit back-to-back three-pointers to push Minnesota’s lead to 11. Seattle responded with a three-ball from Cooke and a layup by Horston.

Katie Lou Samuelson was fouled from the 3-PT line and made two of three. Dorka Juhász knocked down a corner three. Minnesota led 68-60 at the end of the third after outscoring Seattle by nine in the period.

Flau’jae Johnson used a nifty eurostep and reverse layup to begin the 4th quarter. Collier threw the ball away, and Johnson scored again. Napheesa immediately got one back. Dominique Malonga added a short jumper, but Nia Coffey responded with a wing three to push the Lynx’s lead back to six.

Malonga scored two from the line, and a layup right as the shot clock buzzer was about to expire, but the Lynx responded with two free throws from McBride and a layup by Natasha Howard to keep it a six-point game.

Flau’jae took a three and missed, but snagged her offensive rebound, finished with a putback and was fouled. Johnson then stole the ball and immediately scored again to cut the Storm’s deficit to one. Unfortunately, on the next possession, Seattle played incredible defense for 23 seconds, then Awa Fam fouled Collier on a three-pointer that she had almost no chance of making. Collier calmly sank all three free throws to make it a four-point game with around one minute left to play.

Malonga missed a three-pointer that would have cut it back down to one. Collier scored again to push the lead to six. Seattle was unable to convert in the final minutes and was forced to foul. Miles and Caldwell each added a pair of free throws to create the game’s final score of 86-76.

Final Box Score

Player Interviews

Awa Fam and Dominique Malonga:

Coach’s Quotes

Coach Ramam post-game:

Up Next

All-Star Weekend, where Dominique Malonga will participate in her first All-Star game, and Natisha Hiedeman will be in the 3-PT shooting contest. Flau’jae Johnson and Lauren Jackson will participate in the Shooting Stars program that weekend as well.

When they return from the break, the Storm (6-23) will welcome Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever (16-10) on Tuesday, July 28th, at 6:30 p.m.

Notes:
Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
Thanks to Her Hoop Stats and Across the Timeline for being great resources!

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