Seattle Storm Notes:

Game Highlights

• Despite today’s loss in Washington, Seattle is still in the hunt to secure the first-overall playoff seed. The team’s magic number to lock up the top seed is now TWO – any combination of Seattle wins and Atlanta losses totaling two.

Key Stat Of The Game

• After Jewell Loyd connected on a three in the first frame to pull Seattle within one (12-11), Washington rattled off a 33-14 run to take a 47-33 lead. Down the stretch, Seattle could not pull within 14.

Storm Highlights

• Natasha Howard, who scored the team’s first 8 points today, finished with a team-high-tying 15 points.
• Guard Sue Bird recorded 4 assists. She now has 211 assists on the season, needing 10 to match her career-best (221) for a single season and 25 to match the all-time record (236) held by Ticha Penicheiro. To catch Penicherio, she would need to average 8.3 assists down the stretch.
• Guard Jewell Loyd finished with a team-high-tying 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, her 14th 15+ scoring effort in 2018. She also dished out a team-high-tying 4 assists.
• Rookie guard Jordin Canada recorded a game-high 3 steals, her third game of her WNBA career with 3+ steals.
• With 10 points today, Breanna Stewart, who has scored 688 points this season, now needs to average 17.0 PPG over Seattle’s remaining 3 regular-season games to match the franchise’s single-season scoring record, currently held by Lauren Jackson (739 points, 2007).
• Seattle grabbed a season-low 25 rebounds.
• Seattle, who entered today giving up an average of just 79.7 points to opponents in 2018, allowed the Mystics to hit the century mark, the first time an opponent has poured in 100 points against the Storm this season.
• Despite the loss, Seattle still takes the season series over the Mystics, 2-1.

STORM LEADERS
Points: Natasha Howard, Jewell Lloyd – 15
Rebounds: Crystal Langhorne – 5

Assists: Sue Bird, Lloyd – 4
Steals: Jordin Canada – 3

Seattle Quotes: 

Seattle Storm Head Coach Dan Hughes

On what Washington was able to do offensively:

“They shot the ball well early and then they went into the paint a little bit as we got spread out. They really made shots – they made them from the perimeter [and] they also made them in penetration modes. They executed well and played extremely well.”

On Natasha Cloud’s improvement as a point guard:

“I think she’s become a real solid piece for Washington. She’s shooting the ball extremely well over the last few games.”

On Washington as a potential playoff opponent:

“They were good. They’re a very good team. They’re going to be right in the mix of best teams going into the playoffs. They’re in a good position to climb from where they are. They’re playing very well.”

Seattle Point Guard Sue Bird

On LaToya Sanders’ defensive impact on the game:

“I don’t think it’s specifically her defense, she’s that type of player that is a glue player. She does all the little things, she plays defense, she obviously can score, but it’s the little things: the loose balls, the offensive rebounds [and] seems to be in the right place at the right time all the time. Those players are extremely valuable.”

On Elena Delle Donne’s performance:

“We know that she’s a tremendous offensive player. She came out and she did what she does.”

On Natasha Cloud developing as a point guard:

“She played great today. They came out and you could tell that it was a team that – even though they’ve clinched [a spot in the playoffs] – is vying for a spot. They played that way. They played with a lot of urgency and it started and finished in a lot of ways with Natasha.”

On Washington as a potential playoff opponent:

“You can sit here and talk about every team right now, it’s just so tight. You’ll know when you know.”

Mystics Notes

• The Washington Mystics (19-11) defeated the league-leading Seattle Storm (23-8), 100-77, Thursday afternoon at Capital One Arena, marking Washington’s second consecutive game with 100+ points. The Mystics improve to 13-0 this season when holding opponents to 79 points or fewer. It is also the first time since 2010 that Washington has defeated every team at least once during a season.
• The Mystics’ 100 points scored ties the franchise record for most points scored against Seattle, set last season (6/27/17).
• Washington shot 38-67 (.567) from the field, setting a new season high.
• Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne led the team in scoring for the 16^th time this season, scoring 30 points on 11-16 (.687) from the field, 3-6 (.500) from 3-point range and 5-7 (7.14) from the free throw line. Delle Donne has scored 30+ points five times this season and three times in her last six games. Delle Donne has five of Washington’s six 30-point games this season (Toliver).
• Mystics guard Natasha Cloud shot 6-7 (.857) from the field, tallying 14 points, to go along with her game-high eight assists. Cloud has led Washington in assists 11 times this season.
• Season high in FG% – 12-2 when shooting higher % than opp.
• Washington held a 20-point lead at halftime, 57-37, over Seattle, led by 25 points combined from Sanders (15) and Delle Donne (10). Washington shot 60 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line in the first half.
• The Mystics led the Storm, 31-18, after the opening quarter. All five Mystics’ starters played the entirety of the quarter, shooting 11-16 (.688) from the field, 4-8 (.500) from 3-point range and 5-6 (.833) from the free throw line.
• Washington is back in action this Sunday, August 12, hosting the Dallas Wings at 3 p.m. at Capital One Arena. The Mystics are 1-1 against Dallas this season with both matchups played on the road.

MYSTICS LEADERS
Points: Elena Delle Donne – 30
Rebounds: LaToya Sanders – 10

Assists: Natasha Cloud – 8
Steals: Ariel Atkins – 2

Mystics Quotes:

Mystics Head Coach Mike Thibault

On the game:

“Given our schedule and the travel, I would not have predicted that. I think we caught Seattle at a good time in the middle of the road trip, but we were ready to play from the start. As tired as we were, I thought we summoned up great energy to start the game and we put them on their heels a little bit. We might be the only team that has beaten every team in the league now which is hard to do in this league, but we are still in the hunt for what we are trying to get, a top two seed so I am proud of what we did. We had a few bumps in the middle of the second half and got that fixed, and get ready for Sunday.”

On whether this was their most complete game of the season:

“Offensively, it might have been because we were able to move the ball where we wanted to go and they are a pretty high powered offense. I thought we took them out of some of their favorite things. We made a few mistakes, but I do not know. We just had two great road wins so it is hard to compare them. Going on the road, having an above .500 road record in this league is just as hard.”

On Latoya Sanders and Natasha Cloud:

“Latoya Sanders has been as good as any forward in the league for the last six or seven weeks. Tonight, she was perfect from the floor, she gets double figure rebounds. She and Natasha Cloud probably are the two most improved players in the league other than maybe Natasha Howard for them. That has helped that they have stepped up and done what they are supposed to do.”

Washington Mystics Center Latoya Sanders

On the win:

“We did what we normally do, we just tried to exploit the way that they play defense. They try to play extra aggressive, trap…obviously it worked today. We scored 100 points and we shot pretty well.”

On the Mystics performance the past few games:

“I think we came in here and watched a lot of film and we saw how we were lacking on the defensive end, we were not giving it our all. I think ever since the All-Star break we were putting in that extra work in practice.”

Washington Mystics Forward Elena Delle Donne

On the Mystics approach going into today’s game against Seattle:

“Defense and trusting in one another help and staying attached to the shooters. That is why I was all over the boards too, so that was huge for us. Offensively we really have been trusting one another and when you have five people on the floor that can score the ball it makes it really tough for the defense so if you try to take away one player the next one is going to step up and score so that has been huge for us and we found a lot of rhythm on the road.”

On the Mystics focus the past few days leading up:

“We know how important these games are so we have just focused on the game ahead of us. This game against Seattle was tough because we have been on the road and literally this morning was the first time we talked about them. We came in early watched a lot of film. We couldn’t walk through stuff because it was such an early game, so the focus of this team has been great, just knowing the importance of each and every game that we have ahead.”

On defending Breanna Stewart:

“She is just so versatile and if you leave her you are going to pay for it, so I was just trying to stay attached to her as much as possible. I couldn’t be in help that much for my teammates, but knew the second you leave (Breanna Stewart) she is going to make you pay for it.”