Storm Gives Minnesota its First Loss
June 12, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release
SEATTLE - Erica Wheeler scored 20 points, including seven during a game-ending 9-0 run and Nneka Ogwumike logged a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Seattle Storm beat Minnesota on Wednesday night, 94-84, handing the Lynx their first loss of the season.
Skylar Diggins added 18 points, reaching exactly 5,000 for her career. Ezi Magbegor chipped in a season-high 13 and Gabby Williams tallied 12.
The teams traded big scoring runs throughout the game, but the last one was all Seattle.
"We said before the game that we cannot make mistakes because that team will capitalize on those mistakes," Ogwumike said. "For us to be able to maybe match the aggression by putting points on the board - that was a very high-scoring first quarter and half, and we tightened up our defense. But for us to manage the tempo and manage the runs and stay present in each possession, that's a huge step in the right direction for our team."
Minnesota opened the second half on an 11-1 scoring run, extending their lead 60-49. That's when the Storm surged to life. Still down 62-53 with 5:19 left in the third, Seattle closed the quarter with a 16-3 outburst. Ogwumike had seven of those points, Dominique Malonga had six, and Diggins had two. That sent the Storm into the final 10 minutes with a 68-65 edge.
A free throw by Diggins, a steal and coast-to-coast lay-in by Williams, a driving scoop by Alysha Clark, and a runner by Diggins quickly stretched the margin to 75-66, but with 8:06 still on the clock.
The Lynx rallied and took an 81-80 lead at the 3:07 mark on a McBride runner that was initially ruled good ahead of the shot clock buzzer. Diggins put Seattle back on top with a 3-pointer, 83-81, at 2:44 to go.
Then on the next stoppage of play, coming at the 2:03 mark, the officials went to the video to review whether McBride's apparent go-ahead shot was in time. It took just a few moments for them to overrule the original call and take those two points off the board, leaving Seattle now ahead, 83-79.
A lay-in by Magbegor stretched it to 85-79 with 1:49 left. The Lynx put up five points in the next 42 seconds to get within 85-84 before Wheeler personally put the game out of reach. Wheeler drained a long three from the left of the lane with 46 seconds to go, making it 88-84.
"It's about us putting games together for ourselves," said Wheeler, who also dished nine of Seattle's 30 assists. "It was executing the things we've been working on - we finally had two practices between games. We were locked in today, and that showed."
Wheeler was fouled at the 25-second mark and drained both free throws, making it 90-84. Minnesota called its final timeout and subsequently inbounded from the right side of the front court. A lob into the lane was picked off by Magbegor. She got it out to Wheeler, who was fouled and hit one of her two free throws at 22.8 seconds for a three-possession lead at 91-84.
Napheesa Collier missed a jumper; Diggins rebounded and found Wheeler for a downcourt lay-in, making it 93-84 with 5.8 seconds remaining.
The Storm shot a hot 56.5 percent from the floor (39 of 69). Minnesota hit 38.4 percent (31 of 64).
The Storm are now 3-1 in the Commissioner's Cup qualifying standings, as are the Lynx. Each team has two qualifiers remaining. Thus far, the Storm has raised $10,000 for Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.
UP NEXT
The Storm has their first-ever game against the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday in San Francisco. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. and the game will air on CW Seattle and streamed for Prime Video customers throughout Washington state.
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