Williams Keads Storm over Dallas, 83-77
June 5, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Seattle Storm News Release
SEATTLE - Gabby Williams scored 18 points, and the Seattle Storm went on an 18-2 fourth-quarter scoring run on Tuesday night to beat the Dallas Wings inside Climate Pledge Arena, 83-77.
Nneka Ogwumike added 14 points plus nine rebounds, and Erica Wheeler chipped in 11 off the bench.
The Storm was down 56-61 with 8:03 left in the game after the Wings completed a 6-0 run. Seattle ran off the next 10 points to go ahead for good at 66-61.
Then, an equivalent of a six-point play gave the Storm a double-digit advantage.
Up 68-63, Ogwumike - playing her 400th career game - won a jump ball in backcourt, and Williams took it up the left sideline. She got it to Skylar Diggins for a driving lay-in to make it 70-63. DiJonai Carrington fouled Diggins hard on the drive to the hoop, and the call was upgraded to a flagrant. Diggins, who was playing her 300th career game, hit both ensuing free throws to make it 72-63, and Seattle retained possession in front court with a full 24 seconds on the shot clock.
Ezi Magbegor hit a driving lay-in off a feed from Williams for a 74-63 lead at the 3:23 mark.
"That was huge - it's always about winning the game within the game," Ogwumike said of the jump ball. "We just need to play basketball in those types of moments. We just want to win that possession and win that exact moment of the game. It's ultimately about stacking up those wins by the quarter and ultimately putting four quarters together."
"Being able to turn that around in that moment was huge, and I think we can learn from ourselves by taking those moments seriously," she added.
That was the second of two big Storm scoring surges during the second half. The first one started midway through the third quarter. Down 36-47 at the 6:01 mark, Seattle put 16 of the next 18 points on the board, including the last 10 in a row, to go up 52-49.
"I think we leaned a lot on getting stops and trying to secure rebounds," Ogwumike said. "That's a point of emphasis for us. I can't say we necessarily did it the way we wanted to tonight. But in that period of time, we were able to finish off defensive plays and push the ball and allow ourselves to get shots in our offense."
Dallas eventually took a one point lead into the final 10 minutes. A 15-footer by Diggins from the right of the lane gave the Storm a 56-55 lead, then a lay-in by Carrington started the Wings on their 6-0 burst to go up 61-56 before Seattle took charge.
"Like Nneka said, it was about winning each possession, especially the way they were crashing the offensive boards. We have to really finish through those defensive possessions," Williams said.
In their second of six Commissioner's Cup qualifying games, the Storm leveled their record at 1-1.
This year's Commissioner's Cup amplifies the messaging of the WNBA's No Space For Hate campaign by having each team select a nonprofit beneficiary that embodies the values of inclusivity, respect and the celebration of diverse voices.
The Storm's beneficiary is Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, who work to empower Black and other historically underserved people to thrive for generations through social and economic justice. For each Storm win during the Commissioner's Cup, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle will receive a donation of $3,000, and for each loss, they will receive $1,000. So far, the Storm has raised $4,000.
Magbegor had five blocked shots in a span of 1 minute, 50 seconds bridging the first and second quarters to set a WNBA record for shortest time span between her first five blocks. The first one came with 1:17 left in the first quarter, and the fifth came with 9:27 left in the second.
Carrington finished with 22 points for Dallas. Seattle effectively shut down Arike Ogunbowale, who came in averaging a team-leading 17.3 points per game. She tallied just eight on 4-of-15 shooting from the floor. The Storm kept the Wings to 20 or fewer points in three of the four quarters.
Both teams hit 30 field goals, but the Storm had far better accuracy at 48.4 percent (30 of 62), including 40 percent from behind the arc (8 of 20). Dallas hit just 34.9 percent (30 of 86) and 25 percent downtown (5 of 20).
UP NEXT
The Storm head to Phoenix for their third matchup of the 2025 season against the Mercury on Saturday, June 7 at 7:00 pm PT. The game will be broadcast on CW Seattle, and it will be streamed to Prime Video customers throughout Washington state.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 5, 2025
- Mystics vs. Liberty Postgame Information - June 5, 2025 - Washington Mystics
- Postgame Notes: Liberty 86, Mystics 78 - New York Liberty
- Teaira McCowan, Luisa Geiselsöder Competing in FIBA Women's Eurobasket - Dallas Wings
- Williams Keads Storm over Dallas, 83-77 - Seattle Storm
- Toronto Tempo Launch Together We Win Platform - Toronto Tempo
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