Storm deliver statement win, blow out Aces in Jewell Loyd's return

Percy Allen, The Seattle Times on May 25, 2025

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SEATTLE — After one of many highlights, Storm coach Noelle Quinn skipped along the sideline, screamed at no one in particular, clenched her fist and unfurled a furious uppercut — a demonstrative celebration that seemingly unleashed years worth of frustration.

Quinn had plenty to cheer about as her team defensively deconstructed their nemesis the Las Vegas Aces and showcased a dominant offensive attack that produced a 102-82 statement win on Sunday afternoon.

“A lot of times, the Aces are measuring sticks throughout the season because they’re a well-oiled machine and have so much firepower at every position,” Quinn said. “So, to have a win like this, this early, it’s good to grow from. It’s good to see where we can be and who we can be against a top team in this league.”

Since beating the Aces in the 2020 WNBA Finals, the Storm were 4-17 against Las Vegas, including five straight losses and a first-round playoff sweep last season.

The rivalry jumped to another level in the offseason when Seattle acquiesced to trade demands from Jewell Loyd and shipped the disgruntled star to the Aces.

In front of a raucous crowd of 10,634 at Climate Pledge Arena, the Storm rudely welcomed Loyd back to town and delivered a near-flawless performance that felt cathartic considering the history between the two teams.

“The overall theme is to keep it about the basketball,” Quinn said before the game while downplaying the significance of playing against Loyd for the first time.

The marquee matinee matchup attracted several basketball celebrities including Hall of Famer Tina Thompson, Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard, former Washington Huskies star Tre Simmons and Miami Heat standout Bam Adebayo.

However, a game billed as a heavyweight battle quickly became a one-side onslaught as the Storm exploded for 34 points in the first quarter — the most points in the opening frame for any WNBA team this season.

Seattle extended its lead to 58-36 at halftime and went up by 27 points (69-42) early in the third period in a rout that will resonate around the league and reaffirms the Storm’s championship aspirations.

Among the many Storm highlights:

— Seattle tallied 32 assists — the third most in franchise history — while shooting 60% on field goals, including 8 of 16 on 3-pointers.

— For the first time this season, the Storm won the rebounding battle (34-25) and five players had at least five rebounds.

— The Storm shot 60% on field goals, 50% on 3-pointers (8 of 16) and 83.3% on 3-pointers, which is the third time in franchise history they’ve reached those benchmarks in a game.

— Seattle enjoyed disparities in fast-break points (24 to 10), points in the paint (52 to 38) and points off turnovers (21 to nine).

— Forward Nneka Ogwumike finished with 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting, seven rebounds and six assists. She has 6,584 career points and moved past former Los Angeles Sparks teammate Candace Parker into ninth place on the league’s all-time scoring list.

— Backup guard Erica Wheeler scored 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting, which tied for the eighth most by a Storm reserve.

— The Storm had five players reach double-digit scoring including Gabby Williams (12 points, five rebounds, five assists), Ezi Magbegor (12 points and seven rebounds) Skylar Diggins (10 points and eight assists).

“I’m very proud of the group to come out with the energy and the focus to have a 34-point quarter,” Quinn said. “It wasn’t just the offense, it was the defense and igniting the crowd and the energy that it created.

“One of the things that I’m proud of is it didn’t taper off. We were commanding from the beginning, and I thought that through our rotations and through parts of the game, we really stayed sharp.”

It’s early in a 44-game season, but the Storm climbed into a third-place tie in the standings with the Phoenix Mercury at 3-1 while Las Vegas tumbled to eighth at 2-2.

“When it comes to Vegas, there’s a different level of respect given their recent history and winning and legacy,” Ogwumike said. “We had to come ready. We approach each game every night that way. Everyone might have like a different perspective, but for me I just knew that today was a day that we had to win to continue to build to where we want to go.”

Loyd kept the Aces in the game at the start while scoring 12 of their first 16 points. However, she missed her next nine shots and finished with 14 points while Wilson had 15 and Jackie Young 14.

“The focus of today was just continuing to build good days and be better than we were the game before,” Quinn said. “We showed our potential and what we can do on both ends of the floor.”

The Storm travel to face the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday before returning for a three-game homestand that includes a rematch against the Aces on June 1.

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