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

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.”