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Seattle Storm

Despite Stewart's 35, Storm Fall in Overtime to Aces, 95-92

June 28, 2021 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


LAS VEGAS - Breanna Stewart's big day wasn't quite big enough for the Seattle Storm.

Stewart poured in 35 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, but Chelsea Gray of Las Vegas scored 15 of her 21 points through the fourth quarter and overtime on Sunday as the Aces hung on to beat the Storm in a back-and-forth battle between the WNBA's two top teams, 95-92.

The double-double for Stewart was her eighth of the year, and she came within one point of her season scoring high. She buried 14 of 26 from the field, and also came up with three blocked shots, three assists, and two steals.

But Gray and A'ja Wilson, who will join Stewart and fellow Seattle stars Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd on the U.S. Olympic team next month in Tokyo, combined for 43 points.

Gray got 10 of her 21 in the fourth quarter, then five in a row in overtime. The last two of those came on a 17-footer from the right of the lane for a 93-92 lead with 10.6 seconds left. Wilson capped her 22-point night by hitting a pair of game-clinching free throws for a 95-92 advantage with just seven-tenths of a second remaining.

The Storm had won their first seven road games this summer, part of a stretch of 11-straight regular-season road victories and 14 road wins overall (counting playoffs) dating back to last season inside the Wubble in Bradenton, Florida.

This was a far closer game than any of the three Seattle (12-4) swept from the Las Vegas (11-4) in last year's WNBA Finals. It had 12 lead changes, with nine of those through the last 5:47 of regulation and the five minutes of overtime, and seven ties, with four of those in OT. Neither team led by more than three points from the 6:40 mark of the fourth quarter on.

Seattle was in front most of the way. Down 9-6 early in the first quarter, the Storm went on a 13-3 scoring run to take a 19-12 lead. Twice in the second quarter and once in the third, it grew to as many as nine, the last time at 55-46.

But the Aces never folded. They hit their first seven shots of the fourth quarter, the seventh of which was a 3-pointer from the corner by former University of Washington star Kelsey Plum for a 75-74 lead with 5:47 to go. That was the first lead for Las Vegas since 10-8 midway through the first quarter.

Down 84-82 inside the final minute, Stewart tied it up for the Storm on a lay-in off a feed from Sue Bird with 52.7 seconds left. From there, Wilson had one try for Las Vegas to break the deadlock and Stewart had two for Seattle. But none of them went, bringing on the extra five minutes.

The Storm forged a two-point lead three times in OT - first on a runner by Stewart for 86-84, then on a 10-foot fadeaway by Jewell Loyd for 88-86, and finally on two free throws by Mercedes Russell for 90-88 at the 1:05 mark.

Gray's three-point put the Aces up 91-90 with 26.4 seconds to go. Stewart answered with a pair of free throws five seconds later for a 92-91 Seattle lead. Then came Gray's shot from the right side to put Vegas in front, 93-92.

Seattle still had 10.6 seconds and advanced the ball to front court out of a timeout. But Bird's deep 3-pointer from the right side fell short, Wilson grabbed the rebound, and Stewart was forced to foul with seven-tenths of a second to go.

Mercedes Russell finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Loyd finished with 11 points.

The Storm will look to snap their first two-game losing streak of the season when they host the Atlanta Dream on Friday, July 2 at Angel Of The Winds in Everett (JOEtv). Seattle took both games from Atlanta on their last road trip, 95-71 and 86-75.

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