May 19, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; A view of the ball during the second half of the game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Skylar Diggins-Smith led a balanced attack with 18 points as the Seattle Storm defeated the Connecticut Sun 71-64 in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Tuesday.
Jewell Loyd added 17 points, Nneka Ogwumike added 14 and Gabby Williams added 11 for Seattle (20-13), which ended a two-game losing streak that included a 93-86 loss at Connecticut on Sunday.
DeWanna Bonner scored 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Sun (24-9), who also got 21 points from Brionna Jones. Connecticut had won five of its last six games.
The Storm took the lead for good when Loyd made two consecutive three-pointers, the last with 44.3 seconds left before halftime, and Seattle took a 34-31 lead at the break.
Jones’ three-point play tied Connecticut at 46-46 with 3:26 left in the third quarter before the Storm regained control. Seattle took a 55-48 lead into the fourth quarter and took a 61-51 lead on Diggins-Smith’s scoop layup over Jones with 7:54 left.
The Sun rallied behind Bonner, who scored five points before Jones made a layup with 3:27 minutes left to make it 63-60.
Diggins-Smith’s ensuing layup at 3:01 made it a five-point game and was the last field goal for either team until Bonner’s 3-pointer cut the Sun’s lead to 69-64 with 9.4 seconds left.
Williams, Loyd and Diggins-Smith combined to make six free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
The Storm had more shots on goal than Connecticut, 46.8 percent to 41.4 percent.
Seattle closed the first half with a 14-2 run after trailing by 12 points in the first quarter.
The Sun dominated the first 6 1/2 minutes of play by attacking the zone with Jones making 3 of 3 shots in the first period. Connecticut took an 8-0 lead and increased it to 18-6 when Alyssa Thomas found Bonner for a layup at the 3:23 mark.
Jones’ two free throws gave Connecticut a 29-20 lead midway through the second quarter before the Storm struck and spread the court wide to pull away. Ogwumike made two close-range baskets and stole a ball to set up Diggins-Smith’s fast-break layup that put Seattle within 31-28 with 1:45 left.
The Storm held the Sun scoreless over the final two minutes of the half and went into halftime with a three-point lead thanks to Loyd’s two consecutive three-pointers.
–Field level media
