WNBA round-up: Sharp-shooting Seattle Storm overpower Washington Mystics; Connecticut Sun win tenth straight
Reigning champions Seattle Storm were red-hot from beyond the arc to put a dent in the Washington Mystics' playoff hopes, while in the other game the Connecticut Sun won their tenth straight, the franchise's longest winning streak since 2006
Wednesday 8 September 2021 10:48, UK
Jewell Loyd scored 20 points and Sue Bird added 14 as the host Seattle Storm broke out of a three-point shooting slump to rout the Washington Mystics 105-71 on Tuesday.
Washington Mystics 71 - 105 Seattle Storm
Bird made all four of her three-point attempts and the Storm (20-10) made 10-of-14 in building a 54-39 halftime lead. Loyd finished the game 3 of 5 on three-pointers.
Ezi Magbegor added 15 points, Katie Lou Samuelson scored 13 and Mercedes Russell 11 for Seattle.
The sharp-shooting Storm shot 59.1 percent from the floor, 60.9 percent on three-pointers and 81.3 percent on free throws.
Shavonte Zellous scored 17 points, Ariel Atkins added 13 and Megan Gustafson had 12 to lead the Mystics (10-18). Tina Charles, the WNBA's leading scorer who was playing her second game back after a four-game absence due to a sore left hip, scored just four points in 25 minutes.
Washington scored the first four points of the third quarter to pull within 11, but Loyd answered with seven consecutive points to give Seattle a 61-43 lead.
Samuelson's four-point play helped the Storm take a 67-45 lead midway through the period, and they held an 82-55 lead at the end of the quarter.
The Storm, who had made just 7 of 31 three-pointers in their last two games, including a 2-for-14 performance in a victory against New York last Thursday, were nearly perfect from beyond the arc in the early going.
Bird made a trio of three-pointers and Breanna Stewart made two as Seattle hit six of its first seven from beyond the arc while racing to a 20-6 lead.
The Mystics closed within seven points twice before Bird and Epiphanny Price each made a three-pointer to push the lead to 33-23 at the end of the first quarter.
Stephanie Talbot and Loyd each made a 3-pointer as the Storm increased the lead to 47-29. Seattle led by as many as 19 points before Washington cut it to 54-39 at halftime.
Connecticut Sun 83 - 56 Dallas Wings
Brionna Jones poured in 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Connecticut Sun, who built a huge first-half lead and rolled to a 83-56 win over the short-handed Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas.
The victory was the 10th straight for the Sun, their longest streak since 2006 when they won 12 in a row. Connecticut (22-6), who own the top record in the WNBA, have clinched a single bye in the postseason and are two games up on the second-place Las Vegas Aces with four games left in the regular season.
Connecticut played for the first time since August 31 and produced its 16th double-digit victory of the season. Only half of the teams in the league have reached the 15-win plateau this season.
Briann January and Natisha Hiedeman added 13 points for the Sun, with Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner scoring 11 apiece in the victory.
Marina Mabrey led Dallas with 16 points while Allisha Gray and Awak Kuier hit for 10 each. Arike Ogunbowale, the Wings' All-Star guard and leading scorer, shot 2-for-17 from the floor and scored just eight points, snapping a streak of 65 consecutive games with double-figure scoring.
Dallas (12-17) lost for the third time in its past four outings but held onto seventh place in the league as it battles with New York, Washington and Los Angeles for the final two playoffs spots.
The Wings played without forward Isabelle Harrison (COVID protocol) and point guard Moriah Jefferson (hamstring injury).
