The Minnesota Lynx kept their distance from the reloaded Seattle Storm on Friday night at Target Center in Minneapolis — until the final seconds.
The Lynx led by 11 with three minutes to play in regulation, but three Jewell Loyd free throws tied the game at 78 with 15.6 seconds remaining and gave the Storm an extra five minutes to stalk their first win of the season.
Loyd (20 points, six rebounds) gave Seattle a slim overtime lead before fouling out with just under a minute left. Storm newcomer Skylar Diggins-Smith slid in to restore the Seattle lead with a driving layup. The visitors then caught a massive break as Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier, the game’s leading scorer, missed her second free throw and sent the game to double overtime.
For the Storm, the plucky effort ended there. Minnesota opened up a 10-point lead and won, 102-93 in double overtime.
Earlier, a 7-0 run that bled into the fourth quarter had the Storm down by two points after they had trailed by 16. The Lynx buckled down after that with an 11-0 run of their own and were well on their way to a 2-0 record on the young season, both wins coming at Seattle’s expense.
But the Storm made them earn it. Even though they hadn’t led the game since it was 4-2, the Storm had a chance to win it in regulation, with the ball in their superstar’s hands. Loyd’s chance with 2 seconds left clanged wide and the teams regrouped before overtime.
Nneka Ogwumike followed up a standout, 20-point, nine-rebound Storm debut with 24 points, while adding 11 rebounds and five steals. Ogwumike hit two critical free throws with a minute to play in the fourth quarter, which pulled the Storm within three so Loyd could close the gap.
Ogwumike appeared to roll her ankle in the second overtime and left the game, but said later she’d be fine.
She added that the Friday night thriller felt like two different games.
“I think what we saw in the fourth quarter (and) what we saw in overtime can be sustained over the course of the game,” Ogwumike said.
It was a turnover-heavy first half with the teams combining for 24. Seattle’s share of the missteps helped Minnesota build a sizable lead. Kayla McBride’s four-point play put the Lynx up by 16 points, their biggest lead of the game, 14 minutes in.
Loyd had just two points and five assists as halftime loomed. Minnesota took a turn regularly turning the ball over, however, and back-to-back threes from Sami Whitcomb and Ezi Magbegor kicked off an 11-0 Seattle run, capped by Loyd’s first three of the game. The Storm’s deficit had been trimmed to five. They trailed by seven at the half.
The Lynx held Loyd to 2-of-9 shooting in the first half.
The Storm fell to the Lynx 83-70 in Tuesday’s season opener at Climate Pledge Arena. On that night, Loyd started strong but missed her next 15 field goals, a 3-for-19 performance.
While her production was still below the lofty standards she’s set, defending WNBA leading scorer Loyd went 10 for 11 from the free-throw line on Friday.
“It’s the first two games. Nobody’s going to be sexy right now,” Diggins-Smith said, brushing off the suggestion of a slump.
“We don’t even claim that as a slump. We want her to be aggressive. I think she’s been doing a good job getting to her shots.”
Seattle was just 1-of-9 Tuesday from three-point range, which marked the first time since 2019 that the team attempted fewer than 10 threes. It was clear that trend wouldn’t continue by the midway point Friday.
As the Storm fell further and further behind in the fourth quarter, a seemingly frustrated Diggins-Smith missed an open shot off a turnover and fouled to boot. Diggins-Smith went on to pace her new team in both overtimes, particularly after Loyd fouled out, and contributed seven points. She finished the game with 22 and five assists.
“Personally, I credit (Diggins-Smith) for changing the energy in overtime,” Ogwumike said. “And we fed off of that.”
Diggins-Smith didn’t play during the 2023 season after giving birth to her second child.
“This is my second game after not playing in 20 months. I played 41 damn minutes,” Diggins-Smith marveled. “I’m trying to sustain my own energy, which will come, I know. It’s just a part of what’s going on right now. But (I was) just trying to rally the team.”
Seattle (0-2) has two games left on this road trip, on Sunday in Washington and Monday in New York.
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