Game Reviews

The Morning After: Jewell B. Loydin’

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KML KimbroughNot content to sweep them in the 2018 WNBA Finals, the Seattle Storm continued to torment the Washington Mystics.

The reigning champions outscored Washington 22-8 in the fourth quarter and overcame what was a seven-point deficit in the final three minutes to earn a 74-71 win Friday.

Jewell Loyd delivered the game-winner, hitting a jumper from just past the free-throw line with 7.7 seconds remaining. Loyd had 14 points, three rebounds and two assists in the victory.

Mercedes Russell had a career night, setting personal bests in points (15) and rebounds (11). Natasha Howard matched her double-double, pouring in 19 points and collecting 11 boards.

Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 19 points, but only four of those points came in the second half. Kristi Toliver only played 9:28 after getting two quick technical fouls.

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The Morning After: Catch The Fever

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Screen Shot 2019-06-12 at 8.35.46 AMThe Seattle Storm held on for an 84-82 victory Tuesday night against the Indiana Fever.

A foul on Natalie Achonwa helped decide the outcome as Jewell Loyd made a pair of free throws with 24.4 seconds remaining to put Seattle ahead. Loyd hit another free throw to make it a two-point game with 9.1 seconds left.

Loyd had 18 points, three rebounds four assists and three steals in the win. Mercedes Russell (13 points) and Natasha Howard (26 points) both set career highs in scoring and narrowly missed out on double-doubles, collecting eight and nine rebounds apiece.

Kelsey Mitchell went off for 21 points, while Candice Dupree had a double-double (10 points, 15 rebounds).

At 4-3, the Storm are now sixth in the WNBA.

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The Morning After: Wait, I Wasn’t Ready

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Screen Shot 2019-06-10 at 9.34.24 AMThe Seattle Storm lost to the Chicago Sky for the second time this season, falling 78-71 on Sunday in Chicago.

The first quarter doomed the Storm as they fell behind 29-13, a deficit that ballooned to 26 points midway through the second quarter. In the second half Seattle looked like it might pull together an improbable comeback, but the gap was too large to overcome.

Jewell Loyd and Natasha Howard each scored 20 points. Jordin Canada had seven points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Cheyenne Parker was the standout performer for the Sky, coming off the bench to post 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Storm did a good job of limiting Allie Quigley’s impact, holding her to four points, while Diamond DeShields was 3-of-11 for seven points.

Offensively, though, Seattle simply wasn’t good enough.

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The Morning After: Dan Hughes, 2018 WNBA Champion

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Screen Shot 2019-05-31 at 10.29.07 PM
To be fair, the graphic is 50 percent correct

Following an ugly loss to the Minnesota Lynx, the Seattle Storm rebounded with a commanding 82-66 win over the Atlanta Dream on Friday night.

Natasha Howard led all scorers with 19 points and added 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks to an excellent all-around night. Jordin Canada chipped in with 12 points and seven assists, while Jewell Loyd finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and four dimes.

Tiffany Hayes battled foul trouble early on and never found her groove, scoring nine points on 2-of-4 shooting. Renee Montgomery had a night to forget as well, shooting 1-of-6 for three points.

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The Morning After: NOT THE BEES! NOT THE BEES! AAAAAHHHHH!

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Screen Shot 2019-05-30 at 9.23.31 AMThe Seattle Storm won’t be going undefeated in 2019.

The defending WNBA champions fell 72-61 to the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night. Seattle couldn’t dig out of the hole it created for itself following a nine-point opening quarter.

Natasha Howard was the game’s leading scorer (18) but finished with just five rebounds—one game after grabbing a career-high 16 boards in the team’ season opener.

The Storm held Sylvia Fowles in check for the most part offensively, limiting the 2017 MVP to seven points. Fowles hammered Seattle on the glass, though, finishing with 13 rebounds.

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The Morning After: Jordin Brand

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Screen Shot 2019-05-25 at 3.59.22 PM
Tag yourself. I’m Mercedes Russell.

The Seattle Storm opened their WNBA title defense with a 77-68 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.

Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart missed the game due to injuries, while Alysha Clark rested after recently returning from France.

Natasha Howard led the way with a double-double (21 points, 16 rebounds) and added five steals and three blocks. Jordin Canada had 16 points and six assists, while Jewell Loyd poured in 17 points.

DeWanna Bonner did her best to almost single-handedly carry the Mercury across the line. She had a game-high 31 points, but Brittney Griner (18 points) was the only other Phoenix player to finish in double figures.

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Seattle Storm Game Review: Are We Having Fun Yet?

Joseph Zucker1 Comment

Screen Shot 2018-09-05 at 9.08.11 AMThe Seattle Storm are going to the 2018 WNBA Finals.

Seattle defeated the Phoenix Mercury 94-84 in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals, outscoring the Mercury 35-21 in the fourth quarter, on Tuesday night in KeyArena.

Per usual, Breanna Stewart led the way with 28 points and seven rebounds. For long stretches, Stewart was single-handedly keeping the Storm afloat on offense as the team struggled with Phoenix’s suffocating defense.

Sue Bird was the big star, though, finishing with 22 points, including 14 in the final frame. Bird gave the Storm a 79-76 lead with 4:01 remaining, and her three-pointer with 2:51 left to put Seattle ahead by eight was essentially the death blow for the Mercury.

Diana Taurasi—who ICYMI was unbeaten in winner-take-all elimination games—had 17 points, while Brittney Griner posted 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

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Seattle Storm Game Review: Anger Management

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Screen Shot 2018-08-27 at 11.24.52 AMThe Seattle Storm drew first blood in their 2018 WNBA playoff semifinal series against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday at KeyArena in Seattle.

Hours after she was named the 2018 WNBA MVP, Breanna Stewart scored 28 points to lead all players. She was particularly deadly from beyond the arc, hitting six of her nine three-pointers.

Jewell Loyd also had 23 points, thus making Seattle 11-0 this season when she eclipses the 20-point mark. Like Stewart, Natasha Howard commemorated her Most Improved Player Award with a big game, scoring 20 points and collecting five rebounds.

For the Mercury, DeWanna Bonner and Diana Taurasi scored 27 and 25 points apiece, but Brittney Griner battled foul trouble for much of the game, thus limiting her impact on the floor. She finished with 13 points and four rebounds.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET in Seattle.

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Seattle Storm Game Review: The Maya Moore Stopper

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Screen Shot 2018-08-13 at 12.43.58 PMThe Seattle Storm maintained a two-game lead on the Atlanta Dream with an 81-72 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday in Minneapolis.

The win came after Seattle [REDACTED] to the [REDACTED] on [REDACTED].

Natasha Howard relished the opportunity to once again embarrass her old team. She led the Storm with 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting. Breanna Stewart had 17 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, which also tied her career high.

The Lynx own the fourth-best defensive rating in the WNBA (99.0), but the Storm shot 47.1 percent from the field as a team and were 11-of-25 on three-pointers.

It was another big win for Seattle as it looks to lock down the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs.

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Seattle Storm Game Review(s): Playoff Fever

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Screen Shot 2018-08-07 at 10.19.42 PM
When you’re on the drive to a WNBA title

The Seattle Storm wrapped up the second half of a back-to-back Tuesday night, defeating the Indiana Fever, 94-79. The Storm notched a 96-80 win over the New York Liberty to start the week.

Breanna Stewart scored a game-high 32 points against the Liberty, the ninth time she has hit the 30-point mark in her WNBA career. She followed up with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four assists against the Fever.

Natasha Howard was excellent in both outings as well, going for 14 points and 10 rebounds Monday and then 19 points and eight rebounds Tuesday.

Likewise, Sue Bird continued to be a model of consistency, totaling 26 points and 15 assists over the two games.

Here’s a look back at the two victories.

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