Storm celebrate their 25th anniversary by knocking off Sun
From wire services
SEATTLE – On a day when the Storm and Connecticut Sun combined for three 3-pointers through three quarters, Skylar Diggins-Smith’s long-range bomb late in the fourth felt like an early knockout.
There was still about three minutes left and the Storm had difficulty generating points.
The Storm’s defense had rarely been better and for good measure, Jordan Horston, who got her first start of the season, banked in a 3 in the waning seconds to seal the Storm’s 72-61 win on Sunday.
With Sue Bird, Betty Lennox and several members of the Storm’s 25th anniversary team sitting courtside at Climate Pledge Arena, the Storm (10-6) snapped a two-game skid and captured an impressive win against the Sun (13-3), which has one of the best records in the WNBA.
Jewell Loyd rebounded from an one-point performance in her last outing and led Seattle with 16 points on 5-for-15 shooting, five rebounds and five assists.
Skylar Diggins-Smith had 13 points, four rebounds and eight assists while Nneka Ogwumike added 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Ezi Magbegor chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds and Horston had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Slow starts plagued the Storm in the past two games, which resulted in losses and once again Seattle fell behind early and was down 14-8 after the first quarter.
It was an awful start for the Storm, who shot 22.2% from the field (4 of 18) and was 0 for 6 from three-point range.
Connecticut was slightly better while connecting on 6 of 18 shots, but the Sun surged ahead 26-15 early in the second quarter and led 28-17 when the Storm seized momentum.
The Storm finished quarter with a 17-3 run that began with Loyd’s driving layup with 4:55 remaining.
The spurt included a consecutive plays in which Horston snatched a rebound to start a fast break and connect with Ezi Magbegor for a transition layup.
On their ensuing possession, Loyd put the Storm on top for the first time at 30-28 with a couple of free throws and they went into the break with a 34-31 lead.
Connecticut regained the lead at 42-41 Ogwumike drilled a three-pointer to put Seattle up for good with 4:17 left in the third. Before her shot the Storm were 1 for 12 on three-pointers.
The Storm outscored the Sun 21-17 in the third quarter and took a 55-48 lead heading to the fourth.
Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones each had 14 points for Connecticut.
The Storm, which is at the start of a nine-game homestand, have three days to prepare for Thursday’s sellout against the Indiana Fever.
“We are well aware that we have an opportunity to put our imprint on our season right here because we don’t have to travel,” coach Noelle Quinn said. “We can stay in the comfort of our home, but it’s not just about being comfortable it’s about having the mindset of taking advantage of an opportunity to play in front of our fans.
“To use that momentum and energy to drive us in these games. Having practice times to get better. … We’re well aware of this as a stretch that we can potentially do really good things.”