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The Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream made history Friday, playing the WNBA’s first regular-season game in Canada. The game, which took place at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, was a fitting appetizer before the arrival of the Toronto Tempo next season.
The two teams put on a show for the Canadian audience, with the Storm holding on to beat the Dream 80-78. The win was not only a victory for Pacific Northwest dominance, but also ended a six-game losing streak for Seattle — while also snapping a six-game winning streak for Atlanta.
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A packed crowd showed out to watch the neutral site game, setting the tone for an exciting, physical matchup.
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After taking a small lead at halftime, the Storm started to pull away with a strong run in the third quarter. But then Atlanta stormed back, overcoming a 12-point deficit to take a lead with less than five minutes remaining.
The two teams kept it close. With three minutes left, a foul gave Rhyne Howard three free throws, which she nailed to give the Dream a five-point lead. Another trio of free throws from Skylar Diggins pulled Seattle back within one basket.
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The Storm retook the lead with a minute remaining, and eventually held a two-point lead with just seconds left. Atlanta had one more chance to send the game to overtime, but Howard’s shot went off the backboard after some strong defense from Seattle.
Though narrow, it marked a crucial win for a Storm team that has been on a major slide lately. Before Friday, Seattle had lost eight of its past 10 games; five of those losses were by four points or less. (One of the losses was a 24-point defeat to the struggling Dallas Wings.)
Diggins, who has had a couple of slow games lately, ended the game with a 21-point double-double with 21 points and 11 assists in the win. Diggins also had a killer buzzer-beater to end the third quarter.
Four other Storm players ended in double-digits in points, including rookie center Dominique Malonga, who continues to have impressive efficiency off the bench with 12 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
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Howard wound up with a team-high 21 points, while Brionna Jones ended with an 18-point double-double, with 10 rebounds.
It’s a disappointing ending for Atlanta, who were on a stellar streak heading into Friday. The third-place Dream have looked dominant for the past few months, holding a 21-12 record and putting up major victories.
Friday marks the end of the season series for the Storm and Dream. Though Atlanta schooled the Storm with an 85-75 win in Seattle on Wednesday, on Friday the Storm got the last laugh to even the series at 2-2.
WNBA announces plans to tip off Toronto Tempo in Vancouver
As the WNBA welcomes its first international franchise next season, the league is looking to keep its Canadian fan base growing.
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During Friday’s game in Rogers Arena, the WNBA announced that the Tempo will be playing two games in Vancouver as the team tips off its inaugural season in 2026.
Toronto will join the league alongside the recently-named Portland Fire, bringing the WNBA to a total of 15 teams. Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia will join by the end of the decade.
