Seattle Stays Strong in Win against Phoenix
May 25, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release
SEATTLE - Through the past 25 years, the Seattle Storm has racked up more wins against the Phoenix Mercury - 54, to be precise - than against any other WNBA team.
The 55th win came on Friday night.
Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins scored 24 points each, Diggins dished a career-high 14 assists to tie Sue Bird's single-game team record on Friday night, and the Storm closed on a 7-0 run to beat Phoenix, 77-70.
Gabby Williams added 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in the Climate Pledge Arena home opener.
Ogwumike, along with her 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting, pulled down eight rebounds. She also came up with a big defensive play with 31.7 seconds left when she caught up to a streaking Alyssa Thomas under the Phoenix hoop and knocked the ball off Thomas' knee and out of bounds, giving possession back to the Storm.
"She's a student of the game, and she's still getting better," Head Coach Noelle Quinn said. "Also, she plays the game the right way - not rushed, not sped up, she plays within herself. Defensively, having to guard (Thomas) for the entire game, like Sky said, we have to appreciate Nneka for the player that she is."
Seattle put together a 12-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters, turning a 54-61 deficit into a 66-61 lead. The Storm kept Phoenix off the scoreboard for a span of 6:01 until Satou Sabally hit the second of two free throws with 7:36 left in the game.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Monique Akoa-Makani brought the Mercury back into a 70-70 tie with 4:45 to play, but that would be their last point as the Storm limited them to just nine points in the fourth quarter. Phoenix missed its last seven shots and turned the ball over once.
"The word of the day was discipline," Quinn said. "The first game (in Phoenix) was uncharacteristic of us. It was just not sharp, and we weren't really executing the scout in the first game. Today, I felt like our discipline was intact except for a couple possessions here and there. We were making sure that we were getting to their 3-point shooters. At the end of the game, (that many) stops in a row - that's a world we want to live in.
"I think it's our team's commitment to the goals we set to be an elite defensive team in this league," Quinn added. "It's constantly communicating and taking accountability for a lot of things. This group has really bought in and understands they're capable of that."
Ogwumike pulled down a rebound at the other end, brought the ball up and passed to Williams in the right corner. She then broke down the lane, Williams hit her on the fly, and Ogwumike laid it in, making it 76-70 with 1:09 to go. Diggins added a final free throw at the 28-second mark.
Along with her points on 8-of-16 shooting and her team record (and career-high) assist total, Diggins grabbed four rebounds, had two steals, and two blocked shots in 37 minutes of action. She has scored 20 points in each of the first three games.
"It's difficult to take her off the floor - she's commanding on both sides," Quinn said. "I know we have to make sure we're mindful of keeping her sharp and fresh. But when she's playing at the high level that she is, it's very hard to take her off the floor."
Alyssa Thomas led Phoenix with 16 points and Sabally added 15. But Seattle's defense limited them to a combined 0-for-8 during the fourth quarter and a combined 12-of-31 for the game.
UP NEXT
The Storm return to action on Sunday at home against the Las Vegas Aces at 3:00 p.m.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 25, 2025
- Dominating Defense Takes Down Vegas - Seattle Storm
- Mystics at Mercury Postgame Information - May 25, 2025 - Washington Mystics
- Postgame Notes - Sparks Defeat Sky, 91-78 - Los Angeles Sparks
- Sky Lose 78-91 on Road against Sparks - Chicago Sky
- Aces Fall into Early Hole, Storm Surge to 102-82 Win - Las Vegas Aces
- Notes: Atlanta Dream 79, Connecticut Sun 55 - Atlanta Dream
- Sun Drops Road Contest to Dream, 79-55 - Connecticut Sun
- Seattle Stays Strong in Win against Phoenix - Seattle Storm
- Preview: Sky Kick off Two-Game West Coast Trip in Los Angeles - Chicago Sky
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