Seattle, WA – The Seattle Storm continue to struggle against strong front court teams and with finding consistency, as they fell to the Connecticut Sun by a score of 81-69 in an unusual day game at home. The Storm started things off well, only trailing by a point through the first quarter, but it was the second frame that caused trouble as Connecticut outscored Seattle by 15 points. The Storm also lost talented forward Gabby Williams to injury during that quarter, and the Storm struggled to fully climb back into this game once they began the second half.
Seattle got off to this game with a sense of urgency, as the Storm front court of Ezi Magbegor and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu led the way in terms of scoring. With the Seattle back court struggling to make shots, it was the back court and forward Gabby Williams who led the offense against Alyssa Thomas and this talented Connecticut Sun team. With Magbegor, the Storm’s second scoring option cemented this year, feeling herself already and Fankam Mendjiadeu chipping in as well, Seattle looked like they were ready to truly challenge Connecticut and their big lineup. Add in the fact that the versatile and lengthy Gabby Williams was finding her scoring touch early, and the Storm certainly had a fighting chance against the team with the third most wins in the WNBA. That was until the second quarter started.
“I’d missed like seven before. But it also just felt like we were kind of getting a little bit of momentum with that. So, to close the quarter well would have been nice. But yeah, it just felt good to see one drop, because I’d miss so many,” Sami Whitcomb, Seattle Storm guard, on why she let out a big yell during the first quarter.
Sun guard DiJonai Carrington is one of the better reserve players in the league and could start on a few rosters around the WNBA, showing why in today’s game. A participant in this year’s three-point contest, Carrington helped lead the burst of Sun energy that saw Connecticut dominate the frame and jump out to a 16-point lead at halftime. A few driving layups and rebounds from the guard saw her team’s lead grow and grow, which also appeared to wake up the rest of the Sun layup which got their other weapons like DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas fully activated. With the versatile Williams out with a foot injury, Seattle lost an incredibly valuable defender and lost major momentum from the beginning of the game.
“I thought we handled it well in the first quarter. They trapped Jewell every single time, we were getting into the pocket, our players were doing an excellent job being playmakers on their pocket. And then we went away from that, I thought we were setting drag screens early, getting some good looks offensively,” Noelle Quinn, Seattle Storm head coach, on how the Storm handled the Sun’s defensive aggression.
Following today’s matinee loss to Connecticut, the Storm will continue a four-game homestand when they host the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, August 10th with a tipoff time of 7PM PST. Seattle hosts an Atlanta team that has really turned their fortune around from last season, currently sitting with the fifth most wins in the WNBA and third in the Eastern Conference. It’ll be a tough battle for the Storm as they look to rebound from this loss and play a complete game, but Seattle has shown that they are capable of putting such efforts together.
