Seattle, WA

Storm’s stars outshine No. 1 Aces to open semis

Published

2 years ago

August 28, 2022

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Storm’s stars outshine No. 1 Aces to open semis

9:33 PM ET

M.A. VoepelESPN.com
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LAS VEGAS — The Seattle Storm had been on the street and down a starter to harm as they started the WNBA semifinals Sunday at No. 1 seed Las Vegas. However the Storm’s different 4 standard starters — all previous No. 1 draft picks — did what they’ve made nice careers of doing finest. And Seattle struck first with a 76-73 victory in Sport 1 at a sold-out Michelob Extremely Enviornment.

Guard Jewell Loyd and ahead Breanna Stewart, back-to-back high picks by the Storm in 2015 and 2016, had 26 and 24 factors, respectively. Each are among the many most unstoppable clutch scorers within the league, and so they got here by way of many times Sunday for Seattle.

Guard Sue Fowl, the group’s high choice in 2002, had 12 assists and no turnovers. It was the precise quantity she wanted to interrupt the WNBA profession playoff document for assists; Fowl now has 342. She can be the profession chief in regular-season assists, ending with 3,234. Fowl, who turns 42 in October, will retire at season’s finish.

And middle Tina Charles, who was the highest decide by the Connecticut Solar again in 2010 and joined the Storm in late June, set a Seattle franchise document with 18 rebounds. With out ahead Gabby Williams, a powerful defensive presence who’s sidelined by concussion signs, the Storm nonetheless held the Aces effectively beneath their season scoring common.

“Coming into this recreation, the factor I knew I might management was simply being on the boards,” stated Charles, who additionally scored 13 factors. “Begin early retailers, get second-chance alternatives. I do know these are at all times key come playoff time.”

It is also key for a street group to get off to an important begin in a best-of-five sequence, and No. 4 seed Seattle did that.

Stewart, who additionally had six rebounds and three blocked photographs, grew to become simply the fourth participant in WNBA historical past to attain no less than 20 factors in seven consecutive playoff video games. That goes again to her final 4 video games of the 2020 postseason, when the Storm gained the franchise’s fourth championship. She was injured and unable to play within the 2021 playoffs. Stewart was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2018 and 2020.

Loyd, additionally a key a part of the 2018 and 2020 titles, both scored or assisted on the ultimate 10 factors of the sport for Seattle.

“Jewell is taking part in with a number of confidence, and we want that,” coach Noelle Quinn stated. “We’re not going to achieve success if Jewell shouldn’t be at her finest — level clean, interval. I believe she understands that and he or she’s locked in to that.”

Loyd had 38 factors in opposition to Las Vegas when these groups met within the regular-season finale on Aug. 14. The Storm nonetheless misplaced that recreation, however the end result was totally different Sunday.

“I’ve labored rather a lot within the offseason for these moments,” Loyd stated of her efficiency within the clutch. “We have been in these conditions rather a lot in several schemes. Choose-and-roll is one thing I prefer to be in. … That is form of simply again to taking part in within the park, having the ability to create your photographs and simply have enjoyable.”

The sport wasn’t a lot enjoyable for the Aces, who got here in having averaged 90.4 factors within the common season and 98.0 of their two first-round playoff wins. When the Aces final performed right here on Aug. 20, they closed out their opening sequence in opposition to a depleted Phoenix Mercury group, scoring 117 factors and hitting a WNBA-record 23 3-pointers. Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon stated her group regarded too tight Sunday, particularly within the first quarter when the Storm took a 26-15 lead.

“We performed just like the world was on our shoulders,” Hammon stated.

Usually, the Aces — who’re additionally with out a regular-season starter in Dearica Hamby — are excellent in transition, however they had been outscored on the fastbreak 16-0 by the Storm. MVP candidate A’ja Wilson had simply eight factors, capturing 3-of-10 from the sphere. Chelsea Grey led the Aces with 21 factors. The Aces have a few days to regroup earlier than Wednesday’s Sport 2 in Las Vegas (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET).

“There have been instances once we had been passive, or we had been settling a bit of bit with exterior jumpers,” Grey stated. “We’ll see on this subsequent recreation how we reply. I imply, holding this group to 76 factors once they have a prolific offense, that is not too shabby. We have simply acquired to be extra on level so the scores they do get are a bit of bit harder. Not straightforward putbacks or straightforward transition factors.”

In fact, that is simpler stated than carried out, particularly with Fowl operating the Storm’s offense. This was her fiftieth profession recreation, counting playoffs and the common season, during which she had no less than 5 assists and no turnovers. Subsequent on that listing is retired Minnesota Lynx level guard Lindsay Whalen with 36. Whalen can be now second on the profession playoff help listing, as she had 341 in 13 playoff appearances. Whalen will probably be inducted into the Naismith Corridor of Fame in two weeks.

Fowl is a lock for that very same honor in just a few years. That is her sixteenth postseason look, and he or she has a mixed 24 assists and one turnover within the Storm’s three playoff video games up to now this yr. A few of them Sunday had been implausible passes, together with two lengthy, completely positioned tosses to Loyd for layups.

“She’s the perfect level guard in our recreation for a cause,” Quinn stated of Fowl. “You discuss how she thinks the sport, how good she is, choosing her spots and nonetheless in a position to be very efficient on the ground.”

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Seattle, WA

Here are the Remaining First Base Options For the Seattle Mariners This Offseason

Published

7 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Here are the Remaining First Base Options For the Seattle Mariners This Offseason

The Seattle Mariners, in need of some help at first base this offseason, are at risk of being left out in the cold.

The M’s have Luke Raley already at first, but he could stand a right-handed hitting platoon partner. In the last few days, several options have come off the board as Christian Walker signed with the Houston Astros, Paul Goldschmidt signed with the New York Yankees, Josh Naylor was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Carlos Santana signed with the Cleveland Guardians.

The Santana news was especially devastating, as it seemed like a reunion with him was essentially a lay-up earlier in the offseason.

Pete Alonso is still on the market, but the Mariners seem unwilling to meet the asking price for him. Thus, the options are dwindling rapidly, with Jeff Passan of ESPN taking stock of where the market is at right now:

Over the last 24 hours:

Christian Walker to Houston
Paul Goldschmidt to the New York Yankees
Josh Naylor to Arizona
Carlos Santana to Cleveland

1B still available in free agency: Pete Alonso, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Ty France. In trades: LaMonte Wade Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe.

Over the last 24 hours:
Christian Walker to Houston
Paul Goldschmidt to the New York Yankees
Josh Naylor to Arizona
Carlos Santana to Cleveland
1B still available in free agency: Pete Alonso, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Ty France. In trades: LaMonte Wade Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe.
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— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 21, 2024

Rizzo is out because the M’s don’t need a left-hander. Again, Alonso is likely out because of money. France, who was DFA’d by the Mariners in July, could be a possibility on the short side of the platoon with Raley. Justin Turner was omitted from that list, but he also remains a reunion possibility for Seattle.

In 48 games with the Mariners after a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays this past season, he hit .264 with five homers, 24 RBI and a .363 on-base percentage. He helped the M’s get to within one game of the playoffs.

For the season as a whole, he hit .259 with 11 homers.

Turner just finished the 16th year of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mariners. He’s a .285 lifetime hitter who helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020. He just turned 40 years old.

As for France, after being acquired by the Mariners during the COVID 2020 season, he was a firm part of the team’s rebuild, earning an All-Star appearance in 2022 and helping the team break the long playoff drought.

However, France slumped to a poor 2023 and also struggled in 2024 before being designated for assignment. He latched on with the Cincinnati Reds for the final 52 games of the season.

Lifetime, France is a .263 hitter. He hit .250 with the Mariners in 2023 but saw his power dissipate, hitting only 12 homers. He had just eight homers in 88 games for Seattle this year. He did hit five in Cincinnati. He’s still only 30 years old.

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE:

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Seattle, WA

Six Different Golden Knights Score as Vegas Downs Seattle, 6-2 | Vegas Golden Knights

Published

15 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Six Different Golden Knights Score as Vegas Downs Seattle, 6-2 | Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights (22-8-3) won their fifth straight game at home with a 6-2 victory against the Seattle Kraken (15-18-2) on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

HOW IT WENT DOWN
Vince Dunn gave Seattle an early lead with a power-play goal 2:34 into the first period. Victor Olofsson found a wide-open Keegan Kolesar who scored the tying goal to make it 1-1 with 7:21 to play in the period. A little over a minute later, Brett Howden tacked on his 12^th goal of the season to make it 2-1. Nicolas Hague scored his second goal of the season late in the frame to give Vegas a 3-1 lead heading into the second period. After a scoreless second period, William Karlsson tallied a goal 8:09 into the third period. Three minutes later, Noah Hanifin joined the goal party to increase the score to 5-1. Jaden Schwartz scored Seattle’s second power-play goal of the night, but Mark Stone sealed the 6-2 victory for Vegas with an empty-net goal. Ilya Samsonov stopped 21-of-23 shots.

TOP PERFORMERS
Keegan Kolesar: Kolesar tied his career-high goals (8G) with his game-tying goal in the first period. Kolesar also recorded a two-point night (1G, 1A) to have three multi-point games on the season.

Brett Howden: Howden scored the go-ahead goal in the first period increasing his career-high goal total to 12. With two points (1G, 1A) in the game, Howden has recorded back-to-back multi-point games and his fifth overall this season.

Victor Olofsson: With his assist in the first period, Olofsson has recorded seven points in seven games.

Mark Stone: Stone notched three points (1G, 2A) in the win. Stone has registered a point in 17-of-19 games played.

VGK STATS OF THE KNIGHT
Head Coach Bruce Cassidy tied Gerard Gallant for most wins in VGK history with 118 wins.

Pavel Dorofeyev skated in his 100^th career game on Saturday night.

Jack Eichel tallied two assists on the night, bringing his season total to 35. Eichel reached the 35-assist mark in 33 games, surpassing Mark Stone (43 GP) as the fastest player in franchise to hit 35 assists in a season.

Vegas saw six different goal scorers in Saturday’s win. This is the third time this season Vegas has had six different goal scorers in a game (Oct. 26 vs. SJS and Nov. 23 vs. MTL)

ATTENDANCE: 17,862

LOOKING AHEAD
The Golden Knights close out the homestand on Monday when they face off against the Anaheim Ducks at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena. Watch the game on Vegas 34, stream on KnightTime+, or listen live on FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 and Deportes Vegas 1460.

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Seattle, WA

5 Storylines to Watch in Seahawks’ Week 16 Game vs. Vikings

Published

23 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

5 Storylines to Watch in Seahawks’ Week 16 Game vs. Vikings

Late in the season, there’s no more wiggle room for the Seattle Seahawks and their playoff push. If they don’t win out, they will need all the chips to fall their way if they hope to get in the dance.

That challenge isn’t getting any easier with the Minnesota Vikings (12-2) coming to Lumen Field for a Week 16 matchup. Seattle (8-6) needs a bounce back from having their four-game win streak snapped last week against the Green Bay Packers.

The Seahawks and Vikings kick off at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday. Here are five storylines to watch in Seattle’s late-season battle with Minnesota.

Minnesota is averaging 113.2 rush yards per game (15th) this season, led by running back Aaron Jones. Through 14 games, Jones has 979 rushing yards and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He also has over 1,300 total scrimmage yards this season.

After holding opponents to under 100 rush yards three times from Weeks 9–13, the Seahawks have given up more than 120 ground yards in back-to-back weeks against the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals. Seattle’s front must provide some more resistance against the Vikings and force Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold into passing situations.

The Vikings are most dangerous when their offense is balanced. Seattle has to shut that down early in the game.

In Week 15, Seattle offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb gave running back Zach Charbonnet just eight carries, despite trailing by just 10 points with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Charbonnet took one of those carries for a 24-yard touchdown run. During the week, Grubb spoke about the adjustments he could’ve made but didn’t.

“I think that there are points in football games where you might not be able to run the ball anymore depending on how much time’s left and things like that,” Grubb said on Thursday. “But, if you’re looking for a play and you’re trying to spark the offense, I think it always starts with the playmakers. That was certainly the thought, ‘How do we get the ball to [Metcalf] and [Lockett] and [Jaxon Smith-Njigba]?’”

Lead running back Kenneth Walker III is back after a two-game absence that thrust Charbonnet into the starting role. Grubb now has twice the backfield weapons to scheme into his game plan. Seattle is 6-1 this season when they run the ball 20 or more times and 3-5 when they don’t.

Minnesota has the 28th-ranked pass defense this season (244.9 yards per game allowed), which will be enticing for Grubb’s pass-heavy attack. But Geno Smith can’t do it on his own.

Vikings wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have the second-most combined receiving yards (2,014) among pass-catching duos in the NFL this season. They are one of the most dangerous combos in the league, and Darnold has been efficient at getting them the ball.

Minnesota is going to go to its star receivers early and often. Addison and Jefferson make up about 57 percent of the Vikings’ targets in the passing game. The target share, plus the talent level of both, make for a tall task for Seattle.

“Those guys, they play all the positions so you got to account for them and all the spots,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday. “Probably the most diverse route tree that we’re going to get from a duo yet this year and they deserve a lot of credit for that.”

Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Seahawks’ pass rush has been hot and cold this season. They are fifth in team pressures (262), but 27th in pressure-to-sack percentage (12.21 percent). Seattle was unable to sack Packers quarterback Jordan Love in Week 15, with Love getting the ball out quickly and Green Bay’s offensive line mitigating the pressure.

Seattle’s 32 sacks this season is tied for 20th with three other teams. Darnold has been good for the Vikings when under pressure this season, but his average time to throw jumps from 2.73 seconds to 3.69 — nearly a second longer the Seahawks may have to try and bring him down.

Love also loses about a second on his average while under pressure this season, but he has been getting the ball out quicker than Darnold in general. If Seattle can shut down Minnesota’s run game, they could tee off on Darnold being forced to pass the ball.

Seahawks fans will double as New York Jets supporters this weekend as Seattle hopes the Jets beat the Los Angeles Rams to aid their playoff push. If the Rams win and the Seahawks lose in Week 16, everything would have to fall perfectly in line for Seattle to earn a playoff spot — including beating Los Angeles in Week 18.

With no margin for error, this will be a huge game to decide the future of Seattle’s season. They can fall behind in the NFC West or potentially retake the division lead.

Game Preview: Can Seahawks Bounce Back vs. Vikings in Week 16?

Seahawks Defense Aims For Better Start vs. Vikings

Did Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb Abandon Run Too Early vs. Packers?

Geno Smith, Ken Walker III Good to Go For Seahawks vs. Vikings

Seahawks Preparing For Vikings Offense Brimming With Playmakers

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