Aug 5, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd (24) dribbles against the Phoenix Mercury during the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Coming off a pair of performances with at least 30 points, Jewell Loyd will look for a triple on Monday when the Seattle Storm play host to the Dallas Wings for the second time in three days.
Loyd scored 30 points in the Storm’s easy 97-76 victory over the Wings on Saturday. That performance was an encore to the season-best 34 points Loyd scored Thursday in an 89-77 victory over the Indiana Fever.
Seattle is now on a three-game winning streak. At 12-6, the Storm already have moved past their 11-win season from last year, which was their worst campaign since 2015 when they were 10-24.
While Loyd’s scoring surge is in focus, all five Seattle starters scored in double figures Saturday. Nneka Ogwumike scored 16 points, Ezi Magbegor had 13, Jordan Horston added 12 and Skylar Diggins-Smith had 11.
Horston added 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. She started at forward in each of the last three victories after coming off the bench over the first 15 games.
“She has done a great job in the starting lineup,” Magbegor said of Horston. “We’ve all seen how she loves to push the ball, she loves to learn, and she’s great at facilitating. She brings a little bit of everything to the game. It’s nice to see her get her double-double.”
The Wings (4-14) are tied for the fewest number of wins in the WNBA and lost Saturday after ending their 11-game losing streak against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday.
Arike Ogunbowale scored a team-high 24 points for Dallas on Saturday, right at her 23.9 points-per-game average this season, which ranks second in the league. Loyd is fifth at 19.9 per game.
Dallas-area native Odyssey Sims scored 18 points in her season debut for the Wings in Thursday’s victory, and was held to seven points off the bench Saturday. Teaira McCowan scored 15 points for Dallas, while Natasha Howard had 12. McCowan was 7-of-7 from the floor.
The Wings committed 19 turnovers that were turned into 23 points by the Storm.
“(They) need to continue to bank their sleep hours, and just make sure (they) are taking care of themselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Wings head coach Latricia Trammell said this week. “This is a tough stretch, but I’m looking forward to the Olympic break to hopefully get more bodies back and the rest that we need.”
Howard, who played three seasons with the Storm (2018-20) and was a contributor to two WNBA titles, was honored before Saturday’s game as one of the top 25 players in franchise history.
–Field Level Media
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