Nneka Ogwumike scores 26 points against former team, Storm pull away to beat Sparks
For more than a decade, Nneka Ogwumike was synonymous with the Los Angeles Sparks, the team that selected her No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft.
The eight-time All-Star scored the bulk of her 6,000-plus points in LA while winning a league championship and MVP award in 2016.
But that’s all in the past now.
“She looks great in green,” coach Noelle Quinn said when asked about facing a Sparks team for the first time without Ogwumike who stars for the Storm.
In the first game against her former team, Ogwumike overcame foul trouble and scored a season-high 26 points as the Storm ran away in the fourth quarter for a 95-79 win Tuesday night in front of 8,202 at Climate Pledge Arena.
It was a critical victory for Seattle (8-4), which remains in contention in the Commissioner’s Cup race at 3-1.
Jewell Loyd added 21 points and six rebounds while Skylar Diggins-Smith bounced back from a subpar performance in her previous outing and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Ogwumike drained the first two baskets for the Storm, who raced out to a 13-5 start after thrilling sequence in which Mabegor stuffed Cameron Brink layup to start a fast break that ended with her dishing to Ogwumike for a short bank shot.
However, the Storm didn’t get more out of Ogwumike and Magbegor in the first half because they were saddled with three fouls.
Los Angeles trimmed its deficit to 19-18 following (Dearica) Hamby’s three-pointer, but the Sparks never led in the first half.
Seattle was up 48-42 at the break.
The Sparks outscored the Storm 19-18 in the third quarter, which ended with Jordan Horston throwing a long pass to Ogwumike drained a contested layup as time expired.
It was the first of two buzzer beaters for the Storm.
The Storm led 70-65 and put the game away with a one last run that included Ogwumike’s dagger three-pointer in the corner that put them up 79-70.
At the end, guard Kiana Williams drained a long-distance three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining.
Hamby finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Sparks (4-8).