KEY STAT

The Mercury were unable to slow down the Seattle attack, allowing the Storm to shoot 29-for-56 (.518) from the field for the game, while allowing a season-high for points in a quarter with 31 points in the second period. The Storm were efficient scoring from all areas of the court shooting 7-for-18 (.389) from behind the arc, and 22-for-23 (.957) from the charity stripe.

 HIGHLIGHTS

• Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, scored a team-high 23 points on 8-of-15 from the field, while going 4-for-8 from three-point range. This is the second time this season Taurasi has led the Mercury in scoring, with the other being the team’s season opener when she scored 26 points.
• Phoenix was able to convert on only five three-point attempts shooting a season low 31.2-percent from three-point range, going 5-for-16.
• The Mercury attempted only 11 free throws in the contest compared to Seattle’s 23. The lowest free throw attempts in a game by the Mercury during the 2017 season was 14. The Mercury continued to take advantage of its time at the charity stripe going 10-for-11 (.909), and currently rank second in the league at 90.9-percent on the season.
• Only two Phoenix players, Brittney Griner (18) and Diana Taurasi (23), were able to reach double figures in the scoring column combining to score 41 of the Mercury’s 71 points on the night. The Mercury featured a balanced attack in the first two games of the season with four and five players scoring in double figures respectively.
• The Mercury was outrebounded 33-to-23 by the Storm in the game. The Mercury has been outrebounded in all three games this season, and currently has a -27 rebound deficit for the season.
• The Mercury capitalized off Seattle turnovers turning 13 Storm turnovers into 17 points. The Mercury was only able to convert five Storm turnovers into six points in the teams’ previous meeting May 20th.
• DeWanna Bonner, who ranks third in Mercury history for career double-doubles with 27, finished the game with nine points and nine rebounds while adding three assists, two blocks and a steal.
• Seattle’s Jewell Loyd poured in a game-high 29 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for the Storm. Her 14 fourth-quarter-points matched the Mercury team total.

Storm HEAD COACH Dan hughes

(On maintaining the lead throughout the second half…)

“They kind of came out in the third quarter and put us on our heels a little bit. I think we regrouped in the fourth quarter. We stayed very disciplined late and I thought that was key.”

(On limiting bench scoring…)

“We did a lot of different things. They are so good that if you give them one scheme they are eventually going to figure it out. We did a better job in transition defense so we made them have to work offensively.”

Storm forward Sue Bird 11 points | 4 assists

(On sustaining the lead throughout the second half…)

“They got off to a good start and all that really changed was our activity and our energy. We didn’t change our schemes or the way we were guarding them. Once we started to get stops and it fueled our offense I think that in turn fueled our defense.”

(On the first win of the season…)

“It feels good to win. It energizes you. We still have a lot of work to do. It’s still early, we still have no players, and we still have a new team that trying to get that chemistry going. But a win does give you a little bit more confidence.”

Storm Forward Jewell Loyd 29 points | 5 rebounds

(On what worked offensively…)

“When you start offensively on defense it really motivates our offense and sets the tone. We tried to get good shots and tried to play free. Everyone showed up tonight so that helped a lot.”

(On maintain the lead throughout the game…)

“We just got really good shots. We set really good screens and forced some tough shots on defense and were able to get out and run offensively.”

Mercury HEAD COACH Sandy Brondello

(On great start to the game….)

“I think we started off the game really well and then we got a little bit too comfortable. They started making shots and putting a lot more pressure on us and it took us totally out of our game. We did get a lot of open shots in the second quarter and we missed them. I just thought our effort wasn’t at the level it needed to be.”

 (On containing Jewell Loyd….)

“We contained her well but it’s hard to keep a great player down two games in a row. We had prepared for her but a lot of it was just one on one.”

 (On Storm’s switching up fourth quarter defenses…)

“They did that in the last game too and we executed better. They had more of a sense of urgency on close outs this time.”

Mercury guard diana taurasi 23 points, 2 rebounds

(On containing Jewell Loyd …)

“She’s a good player. Today we collectively did not do a good job. After we bottled her up a little bit in Seattle, you knew she was going to come and be aggressive. A player like her you have to throw more than one body at, and we didn’t do a good job of that.”

 (On team’s focus …)

“Today was one of those days that we just didn’t bring the right mental mind frame. We weren’t locked in for long enough stretches.”

Mercury Center Brittney Griner 18 points, 4 rebounds

(On playing effectively on both ends of the floor…) “

“Whatever my team want me to do I just try to do it. I felt like my offense wasn’t too good tonight so I had to do something and I can always rely on defense.

 (On difference from Sunday…)

“They just tried to pack the paint more tonight and it just didn’t work in our favor. The third quarter we had a little bit of a spark but we let those first two quarters go. I thought we started good but then we kind of relaxed. We needed to relax once the game was over.”