Illness can’t stop Skylar Diggins in win over Dream
By Christan Braswell
Seattle trailed the Atlanta Dream by one point with 11.4 seconds, and coach Noelle Quinn emphatically called a timeout for the game.
Skylar Diggins, who missed several practices due to illness, skirted around a screen on her strong side for a layup at the rim. 25 lead changes and nine ties weren’t enough to keep a Storm team seeking a level of consistency in a clutch win over the Dream, 80-79.
“Skylar does Skylar things,” said Storm All-Star Nneka Ogwumike after the game. “Big Mama is gonna do her thing. She fights through a lot. There’s a lot that’s weighing her down right now, including her health. Skylar didn’t practice the last two days. She’d probably hate me for saying this, but she’s relentless. She’s going to keep on going. There’s just a dog and a fire in her that is lit all the time. She was still feeling a type of way about the game, but we trust her. She is literally the head of our snake, so I’m just grateful to have had her for this game today. We know that we needed her today. She dipped way too far into her cup, but we’re grateful and we want to support in the best way we can. The best news I got today was that she’s an All-Star.”
10-time All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike breaks a record seemingly every time she takes the floor. On June 22, she became just the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 250 blocks. With a team-leading 24 points to reach 6,815 in her career, she passed Storm icon Sue Bird (6,803) and two-time champion Cappie Pondexter (6,811) for seventh all-time on the WNBA’s scoring list.
Seattle scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, and guard Erica Wheeler had 10 of them. She finished with 21 points on 52% from the field, while netting three of her five three-point attempts.
Gabby Williams was an immovable force to start the game, netting six of the Storm’s first 10 points. She had 11 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
The Defensive Player of the Year candidate’s primary assignment was Most Valuable Player of the Year candidate Allisha Gray, who was held to 12 points on 3-for-13 shooting. Diggins added 11 points as well, including her game-winner.
The Storm’s road trip continues on Sunday in Brooklyn against the New York Liberty and ends in Uncasville with a matchup with the Connecticut Sun.
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