Nneka Ogwumike compiled 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the surging Seattle Storm to a 102-82 victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. (More Sports News)
The Storm rolled to their third straight win following a season-opening loss to the Phoenix Mercury behind sizzling shooting performances from Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler. Ogwumike finished 10 of 15 from the field, while Wheeler made eight of her 11 shot attempts while contributing 21 points and seven assists off the bench.
Las Vegas (2-2) had a two-game winning streak snapped in a disappointing return to Seattle for guard Jewell Loyd. The six-time All-Star spent her first 10 WNBA seasons with the Storm before being traded to the Aces in January.
Loyd struggled in her former venue, hitting just four of 15 shots while recording 14 points.
A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 15 points and Jackie Young had 14 on 7-of-11 shooting in defeat.
The Storm led from nearly start to finish, as they shot a scorching 68.4 per cent in the first quarter to open up a 34-20 advantage at period's end. They cruised into half-time up comfortably at 58-36 behind 15 points from Ogwumike and 12 each from Wheeler and Gabby Williams.
Las Vegas never mounted a serious threat after the break, with Seattle's lead never below 17 points in the second half.
Dream dominate second half to drop Sun to 0-4
Nia Coffey and Alisha Gray each netted 18 points to help the Atlanta Dream pull away for a 79-55 win over the slumping Connecticut Sun.
Coffey added 11 rebounds as Atlanta (3-2) controlled the glass throughout while posting its second straight victory and dropping the cold-shooting Sun to 0-4. The Dream finished with a 52-34 advantage in rebounds, with Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon recording nine each and Rhyne Howard grabbing eight to help offset a 1-of-10 effort from 3-point range.
Connecticut shot just 31 3 per cent for the game and was especially ineffective after half-time, going 8 of 30 (26.7 per cent) from the field while mustering a mere 22 points over the final two quarters.
Marina Mabrey had 12 points for the Sun, a play-off team last season that is now off to its first 0-4 start since 2020.
Connecticut did keep the contest competitive into the third quarter before its shooting troubles finally caught up. The Dream ended the period on a 15-5 run to turn a five-point edge into a 63-48 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
The Sun faltered further in the final period, missing 13 of their 16 field goal attempts while managing just seven points for the quarter. Connecticut didn't make a basket over the final 4:40 of the game as the Dream scored 11 of the final 12 points to seal the outcome.
Akoa Makani's late 3-pointer helps Mercury down Mystics
The Washington Mystics had a losing streak continue as well after coming up on the short end of a 68-62 decision against the Phoenix Mercury.
The Mercury closed the game on a 7-0 run to deal Washington its third straight defeat after a 2-0 start. Monique Akoa Makani started the deciding spurt by hitting a 3-pointer with 1:11 left that gave Phoenix a 64-62 edge.
Akoa Makani finished 3 of 6 from beyond the arc while leading Phoenix (3-1) with 13 points. The Mercury also received 12 points and nine rebounds from Satou Sabally and 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Alyssa Thomas to bounce back from Friday's loss to the Seattle Storm.
Sonia Citron had 14 points for the Mystics and fellow rookie Kiki Iriafen compiled 11 points and 13 rebounds. Washington couldn't get much offence beyond its two young standouts, however.
Brittney Sykes was the lone other Washington player to score in double figures, though she missed 12 of 13 field goal attempts while registering 10 points.
The Mystics went 2 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half compared to 8 of 20 for Phoenix, which built a 32-22 lead at the break before also struggling to score in the third quarter.
Washington got back in it by putting together a 12-3 run in the third quarter to cut the Mercury's advantage to 40-36 late in the period, and trailed by just two entering the fourth when Emily Engstler's jumper just before the buzzer brought the Mystics within 46-44.
The Mystics then embarked on a 14-4 run early in the fourth quarter to open up a 58-52 lead with under 4 1/2 minutes left. Phoenix countered with a 6-0 spurt, however, to tie the game at 58-58 on Thomas' three-point play with 2:07 remaining.
