Storm veterans are too much for short-handed Sparks

Storm guard Skylar Diggins fights around a screen. Jason Purisima/WomensHoopsWorld.

Solid performances from a veteran Seattle Storm squad propelled them past the short-handed Los Angeles Sparks Tuesday, 98-67.

Nneka Ogwumike scored a season-high 26 points, while Gabby Williams had 11 points, seven assists, and broke the team single-game steals record, with eight. Skylar Diggins netted 15 points and dished seven assists, and Erica Wheeler and Alysha Clark added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

The two teams traded baskets through half of the first period, before Seattle went on an 11-0 run to take the lead for the rest of the way. LA got within two in the second frame before the visitors went on another run to lead 47-37 at halftime.

The Storm opened the third quarter by locking down both sides of the floor. They outscored the Sparks 28-16, and held them to 32.8 percent shooting and 27 from three, while shooting 52 percent overall and 43.3 behind the arc.

They continued their domination in the fourth period, ending with their second-highest scoring output of the season.

Rickea Jackson scored 17 points for LA, and Azura Stevens added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Ogwumike said Seattle, now 7-5, successfully made adjustments to their opponents’ defensive schemes.

“We were adamant about being very disciplined on both ends of the court,” Ogwumike said. “I think I saw that over the course of four quarters. We had a couple of lulls, and obviously, we’re seeing a lot of zone. We need to be able to handle the zone and understand what it means to attack and still remain aggressive. We had a lot of great deflections – Gabby having most of them – and that led to us being able to play in transition.”

Coach Noelle Quinn credited Ogwumike’s aggressive approach for setting the tone for the team.

“Defensively, she was locked in, and that really contributed to what we were able to do as a team: force a lot of turnovers, capitalize off those turnovers, and shoot it at a high clip,” Quinn said. “When we’re playing in transition and have easier looks, that really impacts the balance of our game.”

The 4-9 Sparks are missing several key members, as Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell continue to be out with injury, while starting point guard Kelsey Plum sat out the game with a lower leg issue. Guard Odyssey Sims is away from the team for personal reasons, and Julie Allemand is playing in the Eurobasket tournament.

This week the franchise signed Shey Peddy and Grace Berger to hardship contracts. Coach Lynne Roberts said the team’s mindset is to keep fighting.

“I’ve learned, through the years, you have to just keep plugging along. The bigger deal I make of it, then the bigger deal the players make of it. We’re not gonna use any excuses, right?” Roberts said. “So we certainly have hit some adversity, but that’s part of sports, and sometimes you feel like you can’t catch a break, but you just keep getting up and chopping wood, and you will catch a break.”

Roberts said Seattle is a tough matchup because they are veteran-laden.

“They’re disciplined with what they run. They’re very execution-driven. They’re very intentional,” she said. “You can throw something at them, but they’re still going to go back. They do a good job with that… Our young players and our whole team, we can learn from that. That’s why it’s so important to all be on the same page and execute.”

The Storm travel to Las Vegas Friday, to face the Aces. The Sparks will play at Minnesota Saturday.

Game photo gallery.