Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike attempts to block a shot by Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith during Wednesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena. Photo by Chuckarelei/Sportspage Magazine
The Seattle Storm used efficient shooting and tough defense to defeat the visiting Minnesota Lynx 94-84 in front of 9,722 in attendance at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday night. This marked the first loss for the Lynx this season, making the New York Liberty the WNBA’s lone unbeaten team.
Storm guard Erica Wheeler got the scoring going with a three-pointer. On the next possession, Lynx guard Kayla McBride turned the ball over, which led to a fast break layup by Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike. Seattle led 5-0 with 8:25 remaining in the opening quarter.
After Lynx forward Bridget Carleton hit a three-pointer to give Minnesota their first points, Storm guard Skylar Diggins answered with a driving layup. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier added another three-pointer to cut the deficit to one, but Diggins answered with a three-pointer of her own to push the lead back to four points.
Lynx forward Alanna Smith and Storm forward Gabby Williams exchanged cutting layups. Then Collier hit a turnaround jump shot and was fouled by Wheeler, giving the Minnesota forward a free throw attempt, which she made, and the Lynx deficit was cut to one.
Ezi Magbegor, the 6-4 Storm center, fouled Collier, who made both free throws. Minnesota took their first lead of the game, 13-12 with 5:28 left in the first quarter.
Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike contemplates shooting or passing while being defended by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier during Wednesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena. Photo by Chuckarelei/Sportspage Magazine
The Storm refused to yield. Over the next three minutes, fueled by six points from Magbegor and three-point shots from Ogwumike and Wheeler, the Storm ran off a 14-4 run. Minnesota managed a jump shot from Carleton, and a long jumper from Collier. The Collier basket put her over the 3,000 point mark, making her the second fastest player to that milestone, behind only retired Lynx forward Maya Moore. The score was 26-17 in favor of the Storm when the Lynx called timeout with 2:18 left in the first quarter.
The Lynx were able to kill the Storm momentum and chip away at some of the deficit, but every basket was met by an answer from Seattle. The Storm led 32-27 at the end of the first quarter. Seattle shot 70 percent in the quarter compared to 58.8 percent for Minnesota.
Another Lynx player hit a milestone when the second quarter kicked off as McBride connected on a three-pointer when play resumed to pull the Lynx deficit to two points. It was the 63rd consecutive game where McBride has made a three-point shot.
Lynx forward Alissa Pili hit a wide open three-pointer and the Lynx were back in the lead, but Diggins took it right back with a pull up jump shot. Then, Alanna Smith scored on a running layup to regain the lead and cap a 10-2 Minnesota run. It was 35-34 in favor of the Lynx with 6:23 on the clock until halftime.
The margin between the two teams was no greater than two points for the rest of the quarter. Magbegor made a layup for the Seattle lead. Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman hit a three-pointer off the glass to give her team the lead. Gabby Williams made a tip in shot on a Diggins missed three-pointer and the game was tied 38-38 when Minnesota called a timeout with 5:08 left until halftime.
Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor shoots over the outstretched arms of Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier during Wednesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena. Photo by Chuckarelei/Sportspage Magazine
Wheeler hit a jump shot to break the tie, which was answered with a fast break layup by Lynx guard Karlie Samuelson after stealing a Gabby Williams pass two possessions later, for another tie. The Lynx then took the lead when Alanna Smith made a cutting layup. It was 42-40 in favor of the Lynx when Seattle called timeout with 3:10 left in the second quarter.
Diggins tied the score after making two free throws after getting fouled by Carleton, and then Ogwumike made a fast break layup after stealing an Alanna Smith pass to regain the lead.
Minnesota took the lead again with a three-ball by McBride, but the teams exchanged leads and baskets four more times, until a turnaround fadeaway shot by Collier gave the Lynx the 49-48 halftime lead. The free throw shooting percentage dropped precipitously in the quarter as Minnesota shot 42.1 percent of their shots to 38.9 percent for Seattle. The Storm edged the Lynx 55.3 percent to 50.0 percent field goal shooting in the first half.
The Lynx came out of the halftime break on fire. Carleton drained two three pointers. Collier hit a fadeaway jump shot and a free throw, after Diggins was assessed a technical foul after yelling at an official. Courtney Williams sank two free shots after getting fouled by Ogwumike. From the end of the second quarter, the Lynx went on a 13-1 run and led 60-49 with 6:47 left in the third quarter.
Seattle responded with a deep run. Wheeler hit a step back jumper. Diggins and center Dominique Malonga scored on layups. Ogwumike hit a three-pointer, made a fast break running layup, scored on a hook shot, and made an “and one” free throw after getting fouled by Alanna Smith. The score was tied 62-62 after Ogwumike’s free throw, and was broken when Malonga hit a fadeaway shot with 1:02 remaining in the quarter to give the Storm a two-point lead, the accumulation of a 15-2 run.
Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins gets ready to pass while being defended by Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier during Wednesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena. Photo by Chuckarelei/Sportspage Magazine
McBride gave Minnesota a 65-64 lead with a three-pointer, but that was answered with an Ogwumike jump shot to put Seattle back out in front. Malonga finished the scoring with a cutting layup. Seattle led 68-65 at the end of the third quarter.
The Storm continued to pour on the fire as the fourth quarter began. Gabby Williams made a fast break layup. Forward Alysha Clark split between two Lynx defenders and finished with a finger roll layup. Diggins made a driving floating shot. Seattle opened the fourth with a 7-1 run to take a 75-66 lead with 8:07 remaining in regulation and forced Minnesota to take a timeout.
The Lynx regrouped during the timeout. Collier and McBride each scored twice as Minnesota responded with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to a single point. Seattle led 75-74 with 6:01 left on the clock.
Seattle continued to stay ahead of the Lynx, but Minnesota stayed close. Gabby Williams stole a pass from Hiedeman, tossed the outlet pass to Wheeler, who then hit Williams for the open alley oop layup. Hiedeman was the lone Lynx defender. It was now 80-76 in favor of the Storm.
Alanna Smith hit a cutting layup and was fouled by Diggins. The score was 80-79 in favor of the Storm with 3:57 left in regulation. McBride hit a jump shot 46 seconds later to give Minnesota the one-point lead, 81-80, but it was called back after review.
The visiting Lynx had one more small run left in them. Hiedeman scored on a driving layup, followed by a three pointer from McBride. The Storm held a narrow 85-84 lead with 1:07 left on the clock. It would be the closest the Lynx would come.
Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith tries to strip the ball out of the hands of Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike during Wednesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena. Photo by Chuckarelei/Sportspage Magazine
Wheeler responded with a Seattle three-pointer, and then made two free throws after getting fouled by Hiedeman. On the inbounds pass, the ball was tipped and the Lynx were charged with a deflection turnover. Seattle began to pull away.
As time was running down, Collier threw up a long jump shot which missed. Diggins grabbed the rebound, passed the outlet to Wheeler, who took off for a fast break layup and the 93-84 lead with 5.8 seconds left. A frustrated McBride punched the ball out of bounds and was given a technical foul. Diggins made the free shot to give the Storm a ten-point lead. Seattle won 94-84 giving the Lynx their first loss this season.
Seattle went 39-for-69 (56.5 percent) from the field; 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) from three-point range; and 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) from the free throw line. They committed 10 turnovers which led to 10 Lynx points.
“As a whole, the resiliency of the team to rally, never say die, it happened on the defensive end,” said Storm head coach Noelle Quinn. “We were able to take care of the basketball and really execute on the other end and make really good plays.”
Minnesota went 31-for-64 (48.4 percent) from the field; 12-for-26 (46.2 percent) from three-point range; and 10-for-11 (90.9 percent) from the charity stripe. They turned the ball over 13 times leading to 22 Storm points.
“I thought Seattle did a terrific job playing to their identity. We showed no understanding of what their identity was and they scored 50 points in the paint. Their will and determination to get what they wanted was much greater than ours,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Seattle Storm guard Erica Wheeler drives against Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith during Wednesday’s game at Climate Pledge Arena. Photo by Chuckarelei/Sportspage Magazine
“It feels like their physicality, their rotations defensively, we just were unclear as to what we were doing offensively. It didn’t feel like our movements were meaningful or purposeful,” said Reeve.
The Seattle Storm had the 50-32 advantage in points-in-the-paint. They also led 6-5 in second chance points and 14-7 on fast break points. There were six ties and 18 lead changes. Two technical fouls were assessed, Skylar Diggins with 6:47 left in the third quarter, and Kayla McBride with 5.8 seconds left in the game. Minnesota led 12-10 in bench scoring.
“Minnesota is a great team. They’re a well-oiled machine. They play with so much continuity. They move the ball. You make a mistake and they make you pay. I think the measuring stick was ‘Whose discipline is going to prevail today?’ said Quinn. “Today we had to match that [discipline] or exceed that… We have a lot to build from in this particular game.”
The Storm was led by 21 points from Nneka Ogwumike. Erica Wheeler added 20 points, Skylar Diggins netted 18, Ezi Magbegor chipped in 13 points and Gabby Williams was going for 12 points. Ogwumike led all rebounders with 10, while Wheeler’s nine assists led the game in that category.
“I think being able to match the aggression by putting points on the board. It was a very high scoring first quarter and first half. We really needed to tighten up our defense in that way,” said Ogwumike. “For us to be able to manage the tempo, manage the runs and stay present within each possession, that’s a huge step in the right direction for our team.”
The Lynx were led by 25 points from Napheesa Collier. Kayla McBride added 19 points, Alanna Smith was good for 14 and Bridget Carleton chipped in 11 points to round out the scoring. Collier led the Minnesota with nine rebounds while Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams each dished six assists for the Lynx.
“I don’t think they did anything different. They just executed their game plan. I think we played really well. Our defense just wasn’t up to par to where we wanted it to be and Seattle did a really good job taking advantage of that,” said Collier. “They played well. Every time we play it’s a really good game. They came today ready to play and we didn’t.”
Seattle (6-4) heads to Golden State for a 7:30 p.m. CT game against the Valkryies (4-5) on Saturday. Minnesota (9-1) hosts the Los Angeles Sparks (4-7) at 12:00 Noon CT, also on Saturday.
