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WNBA Seattle Storm

Loyd Tallies 30 Again But Storm Can't Eclipse Sun

June 21, 2023 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release


SEATTLE - One cold-shooting quarter ultimately froze out the Seattle Storm.

Jewell Loyd scored 33 points, and the Storm trimmed an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit all the way down to five before the Connecticut Sun hung on for an 85-79 victory on Tuesday night in Climate Pledge Arena.

Loyd's output came on the heels of her career-high 39-point performance in last Saturday's 109-103 victory at Dallas. The reigning Western Conference Player of the Week now has four 30-pointers in 10 games this season.

Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston both double-doubled. Magbegor had 13 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth of the year and eighth of her career. Rookie forward Horston, coming off the bench, had the same numbers, but in reverse order - 11 points and 13 boards - for her second.

Connecticut's Alyssa Thomas recorded a triple-double of 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists - her first of the season and third of her career.

The Storm (3-8) finished the first half on a 25-11 scoring tear, turning a 34-25 deficit into a 48-45 halftime lead. That was fueled by 45.7 percent shooting (16 of 35) through the first 20 minutes.

But Eastern Conference-leading Connecticut (10-3) scored the first five points of the third quarter to take a 50-48 lead. The Sun gradually started to stretch it out, as Seattle shot just 17.6 percent during that period, hitting 3 of 17, and managed eight points. Connecticut racked up 22 and took a 67-56 lead into the fourth.

"It felt like a lid was on the basket," head coach Noelle Quinn said. "I thought we got decent shots, we got to the rim, missed some bunnies. We stopped kind of doing the things that got us the lead and efficiency in the first half. So it was a difficult third quarter. But the other three quarters, I thought we looked pretty decent."

The Sun gradually widened it to 18 at 79-61 with 5:45 left in the game. It was still a 12-point bulge at 82-70 with 2:34 remaining when the Storm started one final comeback. A 3-pointer by Horston, a pair of free throws by Magbegor, and two more free throws by Loyd brought Seattle within five at 82-77 with 44.3 seconds to go.

But DeWanna Bonner effectively sealed the deal for Connecticut when she nailed a fall-away 3-pointer from the right corner on Thomas' 12thassist, making it 85-77 with just 26.1 seconds to go. Bonner led the Sun with 20 points.

The Storm trailed for most of the first quarter after Connecticut started the game on a 6-0 run. But they gradually caught up, and on the strength of back-to-back Loyd treys, closed the quarter on a 6-0 run of their own for a 25-22 edge.

The Sun went on a 12-0 burst to start the second quarter, taking a 34-25 lead. Then it was the Storm's turn, as they ran up seven in a row, part of a 13-2 surge that produced a 38-36 lead.

Seattle took its biggest lead of the half at 48-43 after Connecticut missed three straight shots right under the hoop, then Sami Whitcomb came down to the other end and buried a 3-pointer from the right corner off a pass from Kia Nurse, who had latched onto a loose ball just before it went of bounds and found a wide-open Whitcomb.

The Storm shot 37.5 percent for the game, hitting 24 of 64, but hit just 8 of 29 (27.6 percent) in the second half. The Sun finished at 46.4 percent (32 of 69), including 59.1 percent (26 of 44) in the paint, where they outscored Seattle, 52-30.

"The expectations of our group, in our locker room, our reasonable expectations are to continue to get better every single day," Quinn said. "We can be in games and potentially beat these teams that are the top in the league. ... For this young group to see that and experience that, I love that."

UP NEXT

The Storm play the middle game of a three-game homestand on Thursday against the Indiana Fever. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. (Fox 13+ / Prime Video / NBA TV).

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