Storm Wins Game 2 with Balanced Scoring Attack
September 24, 2020 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release
BRADENTON, Fla. - Led by a dominant offensive effort, the No. 2 Seattle Storm defeated the No. 4 Minnesota Lynx, 89-79, to go up 2-0 in the WNBA Semifinals. With one more win, the Storm would advance to the WNBA Finals.
Seattle was led by another incredibly balanced scoring effort, withÃÂ Jewell LoydÃÂ leading the way with 20 points, butÃÂ Breanna StewartÃÂ (17 points),ÃÂ Alysha ClarkÃÂ (13 points), andÃÂ Natasha HowardÃÂ (11 points) not far behind.
"[Loyd has] really stepped up in the playoffs," head coach GaryÃÂ KloppenburgÃÂ said. "She's a big game top player, she's a clutch player, and I think she's really rising to the occasion."
Stewart nearly logged a triple-double, with eight rebounds and seven assists to go along with her 17 points.
The Storm led by just three after one quarter, with Stewart, Howard, and Clark scoring six points a piece and Seattle as a team shooting well over 50% from the field. Minnesota erased the deficit and even took a brief lead in the second quarter, withÃÂ Damiris DantasÃÂ knocking down a trio of threes.
Seattle quickly turned the tide again however, going on a 14-0 run to end the quarter to take a 13-point lead into halftime. Loyd was the catalyst again, scoring 12 points in the second quarter and carrying the Storm's offense to a 46-33 lead. The Storm shot 55.2% from the field in the first half, and held the Lynx to just 29.4% shooting in a dominant first half.
Minnesota mounted a comeback in the third, reducing what was once a 21-point deficit to just six points at the end of the third quarter. Still, the Storm maintained their high shooting percentage and featured four double-digit scorers entering the fourth quarter.
The Storm got back to their dominant ways in the fourth, opening up a double-digit lead again early and holding on for the Game 2 victory.
"You can't let down, you almost have to trick yourself into thinking you're down two," Kloppenburg said. "That's the mindset you have to go in to have that sense of urgency to close a team out in that third game."
SEATTLE HIGHLIGHTS
Breanna StewartÃÂ tied for fourth on Seattle's postseason career blocks list with two blocks tonight and 12 for her career. She's two behind the franchise's third-highest playoff shotblocker,ÃÂ Natasha Howard.
After being outdone in Game 1 off the bench, the Storm's second unit dominated the Lynx's, outscoring them 21-8 in Game 2.ÃÂ Sami WhitcombÃÂ andÃÂ Mercedes RussellÃÂ led the charge with 15 of those points combined.
Jewell Loyd led the Storm in scoring for the second straight game to open the playoffs, scoring 20. Loyd is shooting 73.7% from the field during the playoffs, and she led the Storm in scoring six times in 22 regular-season games.
The Storm got to the line 18 times, missing only one free throw.ÃÂ Breanna StewartÃÂ was responsible for a majority of those points, going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
Seattle widened their lead to 21 points in the third quarter, the largest lead at any point in a Storm playoff game since Game 1 of the 2018 WNBA Finals.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 24, 2020
- Storm Wins Game 2 with Balanced Scoring Attack - Seattle Storm
- Minnesota Lynx Postgame Materials - 9.24 vs Seattle - Minnesota Lynx
- Atlanta Dream's Betnijah Laney Named 2020 WNBA Most Improved Player - WNBA
- Betnijah Laney Named 2020 WNBA Most Improved Player - Atlanta Dream
- Los Angeles' Candace Parker Named 2020 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year - WNBA
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
