Seattle Storm put Minnesota Lynx away early, win by double-digits originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
While the Minnesota Lynx came to Seattle Friday night winless, they still could not be overlooked.
The two previous games against Minnesota had gone into overtime, the Storm made sure to assert themselves early, hitting their first six shots and jumping out to a 15-2 lead.
While the Lynx were able to briefly tie the game at 29 in the second quarter, the Storm outscored Minnesota 29-6 to close out the first half and put their challenger away.
Breanna Stewart had 15 points and eight rebounds and the Seattle Storm captured a 82-72 win, improving to 5-1. Seattle was up 77-50 entering the 4th quarter and were shooting 58% from the field. With the game seemingly in hand, Stewart sat out of the 4th quarter. It wasn’t the perfect way to end the game for the Storm, who missed the final 12 field goal attempts of the game.
Candice Dupree and Jewell Loyd both scored 12 points, Sue Bird scored 11 and Epiphanny Prince finished the game with 10 points.
“We had good focus today,” Storm coach Dan Hughes said, despite the poor finish. “It was probably our best defensive game.”
Heading into Friday’s game, Seattle was allowing 88.2 points per game, which was second worst in the WNBA. They have the third best offense in the league, though, making up for any defensive woes. Limiting the Lynx to 72 points dropped their points allowed total on the season by over 3 points.
It’s unfamiliar territory for the Storm, who were so dominant defensively last season, leading the league in the fewest points allowed and most steals last year.
Seattle finished with 8 steals, 7 blocks and forced 12 Lynx turnovers, recording 19 points from them.
“Our defense really dictated what we did offensively,” Breanna Stewart said postgame. “We were able to get defensive rebounds and really just push to the point where it’s difficult for them to match up if we’re running in transition every time and not really calling plays.”
The Storm have now won 11 straight against Minnesota.