Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike help Seattle Storm close road trip with win

Talk about a nail-biting finish to a roller-coaster of a trip.

After kicking off a three-game road swing with a baffling loss to Golden State on Saturday and following it up with a dominant victory over Los Angeles this past Tuesday, the Storm finished off their road trip with a satisfying 90-83 victory over Las Vegas on Friday, by holding off the surging Aces offense in the final minutes of a thriller.

The Storm had a 10-point lead in the first quarter, lost it in the second, trailed by 11 midway through the third, and pulled off the win thanks to a pair of big performances from Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike, who scored 24 and 25 points, respectively.

Newcomer Erica Wheeler had a big game too, with 17 points, including a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Gabby Williams had 18 points. Williams and Ogwumike each also had 12 rebounds, to both finish with a double-double, and had three three-pointers apiece, along with Wheeler.

The Storm outscored the Aces 52-38 in the second half.

Jackie Young and three-time MVP A’ja Wilson were a two-headed monster for the Aces on offense, as Young scored 22 points while Wilson had a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds in her first game back from a three-game concussion-induced absence.

Former Storm star Jewell Loyd, who was traded to Las Vegas back in March, had 15 points.

The Storm took a 23-13 first quarter lead, but the Aces ended the frame on an 8-0 run to trim Seattle’s lead to just two, and quickly tied the game at 23 less than a minute into the second.

After trading points in the early part of the second quarter, the Storm took a 34-30 lead thanks to back-to-back baskets from Ogwumike. But the Aces outscored Seattle in the quarter 24-15, and ended the frame on an 8-3 run to go up 45-38 at halftime.

The Storm took the lead back late in the third quarter thanks to a jump shot from Gabby Williams that put them in front 64-63, as the Aces surrendered six turnovers in the quarter. After Loyd hit a three-pointer for the Aces with 21.4 seconds left in the frame to give Las Vegas a two-point lead, Williams responded with a three of her own with six seconds to go to in the fourth quarter ahead 67-66.

A 7-0 run early in the fourth gave the Storm a 77-71 lead, but the Aces pulled back within one thanks to a layup from Wilson that capped a 7-2 run.

Wheeler nailed a pair of big three-pointers in the fourth quarter, including one with 5:32 remaining that boosted Seattle’s lead from one to four points. The teams traded buckets for several minutes, but Wheeler, Diggins, and Ogwumike scored in quick succession to boost the Storm to a seven-point advantage, at 88-81, with 2:55 left in the game.

A pair of Williams free throws with 31 seconds left sealed the game and gave the Storm their fifth victory in their past six games.

The win is head coach Noelle’s Quinn’s 82nd career victory, good for 20th-most in WNBA history.

The Storm now return home for a three-game homestand, beginning Sunday against the New York Liberty.