Seattle, WA
Defense leads Storm to 76-73 Game One win – Seattle Storm
Loyd tallies 26 factors, Stewart provides 24, and Charles information franchise-record 18 rebounds as Seattle wins WNBA Semifinal Recreation One
LAS VEGAS – Jewell Loyd scored 26 factors together with 10 within the fourth quarter and Tina Charles pulled down a franchise-record 18 rebounds whereas including 13 factors and the Seattle protection clamped down on the league’s highest scoring staff because the Storm pulled out a 76-73 win over top-seeded Las Vegas in Recreation One of many WNBA Semifinals on Sunday afternoon at Michelob ULTRA Enviornment in Las Vegas.
Loyd continued her sizzling taking pictures of late, tallying a game-high 26 factors on 10-of-19 whereas including 4 assists and a steal. This comes simply 14 days after Loyd poured in a career-high 38 on 13-of-23 taking pictures in a 109-100 loss to the Aces to shut out the common season.
Seattle was capable of out-rebound the Aces 37-34 thanks largely to a franchise document and private playoff-high 18 by Charles. She additionally added 13 factors within the recreation for her the eighth playoff double-double of her profession and the primary for the reason that 2015 season.
Breanna Stewart continued to only rating factors in bunches, tallying 24 factors to mark her seventh-straight playoff recreation with 20+ factors. That ties her for the 2nd-longest streak all-time, one shy of Cappie Pondexter’s document of eight-straight video games with 20+ factors set again in 2010. Stewart additionally added six rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.
Sue Chicken posted her second-straight recreation with double-figure assists, tallying 12 with out committing a turnover. Her 12th help of the sport moved her into first place on the WNBA’s all-time playoff assists record with 342, transferring her previous Lindsey Whalen for the highest spot. She additionally turned the third participant to document 12+ assists with out committing a turnover in a playoff recreation (Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, 8/30/1999, Diana Taurasi, 8/21/2018).
The budding rivalry between the Storm and Aces has produced various thrilling video games this season and at the moment’s recreation was no exception. Seattle jumped out to an early lead and led by as many as 12. The Aces didn’t go away quietly, taking its first lead of the sport with 6:15 to go within the fourth. The Aces would lead by as many as three, the final of which got here with 3:44 to go, however the Storm took again the lead on a three-pointer by Loyd with 1:45 to play. The Aces tied it again up rapidly on the subsequent journey down the courtroom solely to see Seattle take again the lead with a free throw with 1:16 left. The Storm would seal the take care of a step again jumper by Loyd with 34.6 seconds left and performed nice protection down the stretch as Vegas missed two pictures and dedicated a turnover on its three possessions over the ultimate minute of the sport.
Seattle received off to a sizzling begin, utilizing an early 7-0 run to go up 13-4 on the 6:38 mark. However the Storm protection would maintain Vegas with no level over practically six minutes, constructing the result in 15-4 earlier than the Aces broke the scoreless streak with a bucket on the 2:36 mark and closed to inside seven earlier than Seattle ran it again to 12 and held a 26-15 lead after one.
The Storm nonetheless maintained an 11-point lead 2:30 into the second quarter after they went chilly, lacking seven-straight from the sector as Las Vegas used an 8-0 to make it 30-27 Storm with 3:46 earlier than the half. After a backwards and forwards two minutes, Seattle stretched the lead again to 9 on a Charles putback adopted by a three-pointer from Loyd. The Storm would shut the half hitting 5-of-6 and took a 43-36 result in the break.
Within the third, the Aces continued to get shut, utilizing an early 7-0 run to tug inside two with 6:22 to go within the interval. The Storm would stretch the lead again to 6 after which see the Aces near inside two once more moments later. The final of these got here because of three-straight fastbreak buckets by the Storm with Loyd incomes a visit to the road for an old style three-point play to provide Seattle a 58-51 lead with 2:09 to play.
The Storm led 60-57 because the groups headed to the fourth and went up 64-59 on the 7:13 mark on a pair of Stewart free throws. Las Vegas responded with back-to-back three-pointers by Kelsey Plum and Riquana Williams to take their first lead of the sport and arrange the wild end.
The victory was the primary by Seattle in Las Vegas for the reason that 2018 season when the Storm beat the Aces within the first-ever assembly between the 2 in Vegas. It additionally marked Seattle’s fourth-straight playoff win over the Aces after the Storm swept Las Vegas within the 2020 WNBA Finals. Seattle additionally improves to 15-4 in playoff video games with Stewart within the lineup and has received 13-straight postseason video games with Stewart on the courtroom.
The 2 groups resume the sequence on Wednesday night time with Recreation Two in Las Vegas. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Michelob Extremely Enviornment and the sport may be seen on ESPN2.