The Seattle Storm hosted the Chicago Sky for the second time in three days. This was the season's final meeting for both teams, and the winner would take the series.
First Quarter Action
Both teams' first quarters started interestingly. Chicago got off to an 8-2 start, while Seattle only made its first field goal at the 6:09 mark. They fell behind by nine before a late burst cut the lead to six.
Seattle was held to just 12 points in the quarter, with Nneka Ogwumike accounting for seven points. They also allowed the Sky to grab six offensive rebounds. Despite the great start, Chicago shot just 33% from the field. Both teams combined for 46 shot attempts, only making 13 combined shots.
Momentum Shift
The Storm finally got it going in the second quarter, going on an 11-2 run to take the lead for the first time. Sami Whitcomb came off the bench and hit two threes. Chicago answered with a 13-2 run to retake the lead.
Dana Evans caused problems on the defensive end, forcing back-to-back turnovers on Seattle, contributing to Chicago's run. Both teams shot under 40% in the first half, with Marina Mabrey leading all scorers with 10 points and the only player in double figures.
Seattle completely turned it around in the third quarter, going on a 16-3 run to take the lead for the first time since the early minutes of the second quarter. After scoring just two points in the first half, Jewell Loyd scored 12 points in the third quarter.
Ogwumike was also a big part of that run, scoring nine points on 100% shooting. They started getting to the free-throw line and held the Sky to just one offensive rebound until midway through the third quarter. Chicago cut the lead to 5 thanks to a 7-1 run towards the end of the quarter.
Continuing the Push
Once again, the Storm started the quarter on a big run to increase their lead. It seemed like the game was over until the Sky went on a 14-3 run to cut it to 3 with just under three minutes left. But Seattle ended any hopes of a comeback by closing the game on a 12-2 run.
Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with 24 points on 60% FG and 13 rebounds. Jewell Loyd finished with 20 points, with 18 in the second half. Ezi Magbegor finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds and led the team with four blocks.
Skylar Diggins finished with 15 points on 62.5% FG and led the team with eight assists. It was a special day for her as she set two career milestones: reaching 4,500 career points and moving to the top 15 in all-time assists.
Chennedy Carter led the Sky with 21 points, Marina Mabrey finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Isabelle Harrison finished with 11 points.
Double-Double Machine
Photo Courtesy: @WNBA/X
Angel Reese finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, along with four steals. With her 13th consecutive double-double, she set a new WNBA record. She officially passed Candace Parker for the most successive double-doubles over multiple seasons.
She also passed Lisa Leslie and Chiney Ogwumike for the most double-doubles in a rookie season. She's tied with Cindy Brown, the fifth most by a rookie in WNBA history.
The current all-time rookie record is 22, set by Tina Charles in 2010. The all-time record in a single season is 28, set by Alyssa Thomas last season. With the way Reese has been playing, no one will be surprised if she breaks one or both records.
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