Storm suffer debilitating loss to Mercury in 2025 season opener
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Phoenix, AZ - From the first whistle until the very last, the Seattle Storm were dominated in every facet by the Phoenix Mercury in an embarrassing 81-59 loss to start the 2025 season.
Last season, the Storm lost three of its first four games to the Minnesota Lynx (twice) and New York Liberty, who eventually reached the WNBA Finals. Instead of rushing to judgment after one outing in a 44-game season, the Storm are taking the game at face value.
“We’re not married to the game,” guard Skylar Diggins said. “It’s the first game. They got the jump on us from the beginning. They kicked our ass. It’s embarrassing.”
“We didn’t score 60 points. That’s not the identity that we’ve been building for the last month and a half, but we are coming into our own, and it’s our first game.”
Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins during her teams 59-81 road loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the season opener at PHX Arena on Saturday, May 17th, 2025. (Photo provided by the Seattle Storm)
The Storm had one preseason game on the docket in 2025 and a private scrimmage in Los Angeles with the Sparks. With only so much time to install her systems, Storm coach Noelle Quinn wants to keep the main thing the main thing in 2025 as it was in 2024: a paint-oriented offensive attack whose defense fuels it. Her team led the league in paint points for most of the season, ultimately finishing second behind Dallas (40.5).
On defense last season, Seattle led the WNBA in steals (9.3) and blocks (5.2). Operating in transition was a core ingredient for the Storm’s scoring recipe, finishing second in fast break points (11.4) and third in points off turnovers (17.5).
It’s just the first of many games, but Phoenix outhustled Seattle in every major statistic they usually lead.
It was also the team’s first game in a decade without six-time All-Star guard Jewell Loyd. In a season-opener where they failed to create and sustain an offensive identity, Seattle felt the lack of production without her after requesting a trade in the offseason that sent her to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team deal.
The Seattle Storm feature a few new faces this year, including Zia Cooke (#7), Li Yueru (#28), and returning face Alysha Clark (#32) as seen during their teams 59-81 road loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the season opener at PHX Arena on Saturday, May 17th, 2025. (Photo provided by the Seattle Storm)
Diggins finished with a team-high 21 points, four assists, and five stocks (A combination of steals and blocks). Seven-time All-WNBA forward Nneka Ogwumike finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. The superstar duo were the only Storm players to make more than two field goals.
Feeling that she didn’t do enough to involve her teammates, Diggins took accountability for a Storm group that scored its fewest points since July 1, 2022.
“I’m irritated with myself,” she said. “I didn’t have us organized on offense today, so that part is on me.”
After finding herself in early foul trouble that limited her to just 24 minutes, Ogwumike shouldered some of the blame as well.
“It takes me out of my flow,” she said. “It takes my teammates out of flow. I need to be more disciplined. It’s not something that can happen if we want to be able to build that foundation.”
Diggins and Ogwumike combined for 33 points out of the team’s 59 on the night. The other Storm starters tallied six points on 2-for-19 shooting while reserves Li Yueru, Erica Wheeler, and Zia Cooke all had six apiece.
On several occasions last season, Diggins and Ogwumike took responsibility last year for the team’s shortcomings more often than anyone. However, they were usually the most productive players. Basketball is a team game, and they can’t do it alone. Quinn noted as much when speaking to reporters after the game.
“I need more from Gabby and Ezi. As a unit the last few weeks, our principles and systems that we’ve been locked into, I thought we were undisciplined in that. But we have a mature group. We have a connected group, so we will look at it and get better from it.”
Quick Storm basketball notes
The Storm recorded 10 steals and converted Phoenix’s 17 turnovers into 18 points.
Seattle’s bench scored 20 points, with three different Storm players scoring six points each off the bench.
Storm point guard Skylar Diggins led Seattle with 21 points alongside four steals, four assists, three rebounds, and a block. With her fourth steal, Diggins set her career high for steals in a season opener and matched her high for takeaways in a Storm uniform.
She has recorded at least one steal or block in each of her last 22 regular-season games dating back to July 5, 2024, which is tied for the second-longest such ongoing streak among active WNBA players.
Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike recorded 12 points on 50% (5-of-10) shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and two steals.
She recorded her second steal of the game at 8:02 in the fourth quarter to pass DeLisha Milton-Jones for 10th on the WNBA’s all-time steals list.
Storm forward Gabby Williams stuffed the stat sheet in the first period to become the first player in WNBA history with multiple steals, blocks and assists in her team’s opening quarter of the season.
Williams finished with four assists to tie the team high.
Storm forward Dominique Malonga checked in for her WNBA debut at 5:40 in the first quarter and scored her first points on a layup at 1:43 of the first.
Storm center Li Yueru set her career high with four assists to go along with six points and four rebounds, including a pair of offensive boards.
What’s next?
Following tonight’s frustrating season opening loss to the Phoenix Mercury, our Seattle Storm head to Dallas for its first 2025 matchup with the Wings. A new Dallas lineup includes Arike Ogwunbowale, Paige Bueckers, DiJonai Carrington, Myisha Hines-Allen and NaLyssa Smith. Tip-off is at 5:00PM PDT and will be nationally televised on NBA TV and shown locally on the CW Seattle.
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Cover photo and photos in article provided by the Seattle Storm.
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