Seattle Storm surge in 2nd half, top Paige Bueckers-less Wings to snap skid
The Storm overcame an 11-point deficit in the second half and held off the Dallas Wings in the final minutes for an 83-77 victory that snapped their three-game losing streak on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
Gabby Williams scored 18 points, Nneka Ogwumike had 14 and Erica Wheeler chipped in 11 off the bench for Seattle, which improved to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the Commissioner’s Cup race.
It’s the Storm’s sixth straight win against a short-handed Wings team that’s last in the league standings and missing rookie star Paige Bueckers (concussion protocol).
The Storm shot 36.4% on field goals and held the Wings to 30.4% in the first half, but Seattle lost the rebounding battle 30-17, which allowed Dallas to enjoy a 9-2 second-chance points disparity.
Seattle’s most effective lineup included Skylar Diggins alongside Wheeler and reserve guard Zia Cooke in the backcourt with Ezi Magbegor paired with rookie center Dominique Malonga on the front line.
Malonga sank a layup to put the Storm up 25-20, but the Wings finished the first half with an 18-5 run, including a three-pointer as time expired to put Dallas ahead 38-30.
The Storm teetered on the brink midway in the fourth as they trailed 47-36 while Williams was in the locker room nursing an injured right ankle after landing awkwardly on someone’s foot.
However, Williams returned and Seattle used an 11-2 run to cut its deficit to 49-47.
The Storm trailed 55-54 heading to the fourth quarter and took control for good when Wheeler found Williams on the wing for a fast break three-pointer and a 63-61 lead with 6:08 left.
Ahead 68-63, Diggins scored on a fast break layup, drew a flagrant foul and hit the ensuing free throws for a four-point play and 72-63 lead with 3:40 left.
On the same possession, Magbegor sank a short jumper to go up 74-65 and the Wings never seriously challenged the rest of the way.
DiJonai Carrington scored a game-high 22 points while Myisha Hines-Allen had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which fell to 1-7.
The Storm, which capped a three-game homestand, plays four of their next five games on the road starting with Saturday’s trip to Phoenix.