Defense at the crux of the Seattle Storm’s two-game win streak
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - In a season-opener on the road where they never led, our Seattle Storm were dominated wire-to-wire by the Phoenix Mercury, ultimately losing, 81-59. Scoring 15+ points in just one out of four periods, the Storm posted their lowest scoring output since 2022.
Seattle’s All-Star duo of Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike were the only players who tallied at least two made field goals and ten points. Despite the outcome, Diggins knows her team faces a lengthy season ahead.
“We’re not married to this game,” Diggins said during the postgame press conference. “It’s the first game. They got the jump on us from the beginning.”
To cap the first road trip of 2025, Seattle went south for a matchup with the Dallas Wings that would give them their first win of the year, a final result of 79-71. In control for most of the game, the Wings never led by more than three.
Storm coach Noelle Quinn’s unit put together one of its best defensive performances, holding wing DiJonai Carrington to 2-for-8 shooting and four points. Dallas star Arike Ogunbowale scored eight points on 2-for-14 shooting.
“It was Gabby’s assignment, but we all touched it a bit. For a player like Arike and players of her caliber, it’s really guarding her as a team. It’s not on one player. I thought we had good awareness of where she was, but I thought it was Gabby [Williams] starting the game on her and taking her out of a rhythm.”
In Friday night’s home-opening get-back win over the Mercury, the Storm’s defense held Mercury stars Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally to 0-for-7 shooting and one point in the final period. In the previous three entering the fourth, that duo combined for 31 of Phoenix’s 61 points.
Seattle’s switch-heavy profile is only as strong as the next player stepping up. With the previous loss ingrained in the team’s mind, where Thomas and Sabally combined for 47 of the Mercury’s final 81 points, they took a stand when it counted most.
“I’m not going to talk about that first game, it didn’t happen. This is us, this is who we are. We know who we should be. After that first game, we weren’t even worried. We knew that it was a one-off. We knew that wasn’t our identity. That’s not what we’ve been working on the last three weeks, so we were us the last two games.”
In Seattle’s last two outings, they’re tied for third in points off turnovers (18.5), allow the fourth-fewest fastbreak points (Eight), while only giving up 70.5 points (Second). Minus talented wing Jordan Horston, who is sidelined for the 2025 season with an ACL injury, the core components of a top-three defensive team remain in Diggins, Ogwumike, Williams, and Magbegor.
In the fourth quarter in Dallas, Seattle allowed just ten points. Against the Mercury, they gave up nine.
Quality veteran additions in two-time All-Defensive forward Alysha Clark and All-Star guard Erica Wheeler have only helped amplify Seattle’s sound perimeter focus, holding opponents to 39.7 percent from the field (Fifth) and 27.9 percent from outside (Third).
“I think it’s our team’s commitment to the goal they’ve set to be a really good defensive team, in this league,” said Quinn after the game. “We have really good defensive players. When I’m coming to the timeouts, they’re constantly communicating and taking accountability for a lot of things. By the time I’m sitting there, it’s just about adjustments. This group has really bought into understanding what’s in the locker room and that they’re capable of that.
“Obviously, we have a lot of veterans playing, but I think it’s still early in the season. Adjusting to one another, but through the adjustments, I think we’re finding where we can be really good on that side of the ball.”
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