Storm extend winning streak to three for the third time this season in win over Liberty
By Christan Braswell, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - When speaking with reporters before the game, Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn wasn’t phased that the New York Liberty were down three starters with All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu out with a neck issue.
“There’s some opportunity for other people to step up,” said Quinn. “Games like these are difficult because a team like that who has depth in a lot of places. The next woman is still very potent.”
In the first quarter, the other Liberty players were everyone minus All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Natasha Cloud, who combined for four points on 1-for-4 shooting. The rest of the team was responsible for 18 points on 7-for-16 from the field. Rebekah Gardner and Nyara Sabally combined for nine of New York’s first eleven points alone.
After scoring 90 points in Friday’s road win over the Las Vegas Aces, the Storm struggled out of the gate, shooting 36% from the field and just 1-for-4 from behind the arc. Storm guards Skylar Diggins and Erica Wheeler combined for half the team’s 22 points in the first quarter.
The back and forth affair stretched throughout the second quarter with seven lead changes before halftime before Seattle took a 43-42 lead into the locker room.
Seattle outscored New York 25-19 in the third quarter where Storm Diggins scored 12 of the team’s points.
After trading scores to start the fourth quarter, Breanna Stewart was fouled and the Storm took too long in deciding whether to challenge the call and received a delay of game penalty. Stewart shot three free throws and netted all of them.
Some second half sights and scenes from the Seattle Storm home over win the New York Liberty on Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike scored 13 points in the final frame, which put the Storm over the top. With 1:30 left to play, she nailed a three-pointer that put the game out of reach the rest of the way. Ogwumike finished with a game-high 26 points, while adding seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. The first-ballot Hall of Famer passed legend Tina Thompson for ninth in rebounds all-time in the victory.
“That’s just one of those plays where the hustle yields something,” Ogwumike said. “That’s exactly what happened in that play.”
“We have to have that aggression in our heads all the time, and understanding that the open shot, especially for the two of us, is the right shot. Rewarding ourselves after hustling like that was the only option. I wasn’t thinking all that when that happened though. I just was like, I have to shoot it.”
Ogwumike makes basketball look easy. It’s driven by a relentless pursuit on the path to excellence, and it’s regularly disregarded. Not by Diggins, who made sure to give her longtime friend her flowers publicly after the game.
“I tell her every day,” Diggins said. “I tell her behind the scenes. I tell her in the training room. I tell her in the weight room. I tell her when she’s doing Pilates. I tell her when she’s on the court. I tell her when I’m walking in the gym. I tell her when I see her at the house.”
“I came here to play with Nneka. What she does, day in and day out is special. You shouldn’t take it for granted. I love her and it’s deeper than just basketball. Who she is as a person is solid. It’s a lot of stuff she can’t say to defend herself, and it’s a lot of (crap) that she takes on for our whole league. I stand in front of Nneka every day and nobody around this league should take what she does for granted.”
At 34 years of age in her 14th season, Diggins believes the best has yet to come for Ogwumike.
“She’s still in her prime and continuing to get better and better,” Diggins said. “I’m inspired by her personally and professionally. She’s a way better woman than me.”
“I look up to her, not only what she does on the floor, but in how she carries herself and how she makes us have a standard to ourselves with her experience. She’s a champion. She’s the most disrespected MVP in the history of our league, and every night she’s breaking records. … It’s a blessing to be on this team with her.”
In four of her last five games, Ogwumike has scored at least 21 points, averaging 20.7 in that span. She scored 20 of her 26 points in the second half.
Storm forward Gabby Williams recorded her first double-double in the WNBA in the win over the Las Vegas Aces. She followed that up with second straight one on Sunday night, finishing with 12 points and 10 assists. She also had six rebounds and four steals.
As it stands, Seattle is the sole team with wins over the top three teams in the WNBA, which include the Phoenix Mercury, the one-loss Minnesota Lynx, and now the Liberty. Against these teams, the Storm sits at 4-2.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but I think that we’re trending in the right direction with a lot of things that we’ve been emphasizing,” coach Noelle Quinn said. “These are important wins, and it’s good for our group to feel how we should be playing. The reps that we get early are going to play dividends in the end, for sure. But we have a group who is so committed to like keeping the main thing, the main thing. We know what we have in our locker room, and we don’t want to look too far ahead and get too far in front of us before we handle the day to day.
“Whether it’s a statement or not, we’re going to handle our business and see what happens in the end. … What we are, is a very good basketball team when we lock into the things that are important and that matter in the games. That’s going to continue to be our focus. Just us and us getting better.”
Seattle has won nine games this season on three separate three-game win streaks. They lead the league in streaks of three games or more.
Some pregame and postgame sights and scenes from the Seattle Storm home over win the New York Liberty on Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Quick Storm notes
This marked the fifth time that Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins each scored 20 points in the same game as teammates, which ties Lauren Jackson and Iziane Castro Marques for the fifth-most such games by any Storm duo in franchise history.
Seattle’s 11 steals and 22 points off turnovers both marked the most by any Liberty opponent in a game so far this season.
The Storm held New York to a season-low eight fast-break points.
Seattle grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first half, matching the team’s season high for offensive boards in a single half.
All five Storm starters recorded at least one steal, with four starters grabbing multiple steals.
Nneka Ogwumike matched her season highs with 26 points and 12 field goals made as she shot 70.6% (12-for-17) from the field and 40% (2-for-5) from deep.
Ogwumike grabbed seven rebounds to pass Tina Thompson (3,070) for ninth on the WNBA’s all-time rebounding list.
She also added two steals while blocking two shots for her 250th career block, becoming the fourth player in WNBA history to record at least 600 steals and 250 blocks in her career. Ogwumike scored 13 points in the fourth quarter for her highest-scoring quarter of the season.
Gabby Williams set her career high with 10 assists and added 12 points for her first career points/assists double-double. After recording the first double-double of her career last game, she became the first player in WNBA history to record her first career points/rebounds double-double and her first points/assists double-double in consecutive games.
She added six rebounds as she tied her season high for rebounds in a half with five before halftime. Williams, the league leader in multi-steal games with 10, added four takeaways against New York, including two in the first quarter as she leads all players in first-quarter steals with 16 this season.
Williams has now recorded at least four assists in seven consecutive games, matching the longest such streak of her career.
Skylar Diggins dropped 20 points with six assists to go along with two rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. This marks her 13th time recording multiple steals and multiple blocks with at least five assists, passing Sheryl Swoopes and Breanna Stewart for the fourth-most such games in WNBA history.
Diggins scored 12 points in the third quarter for her second consecutive game with a double-digit scoring performance in the third. This was Skylar’s 48th career 25-point scoring performance, matching Candace Parker for the 13th-most such games in WNBA history.
Alysha Clark knocked down her 1,000th career field goal as she scored four points on 67% (2-for-3) shooting from the field.
Clark added a pair of rebounds and a steal off the bench.
Ezi Magbegor finished with six points, eight rebounds and a season-high three steals, including her 150th career takeaway as she passed Jordin Canada for 10th on the franchise’s all-time steals list.
Magbegor tied her season high for offensive rebounds in a single half with four before halftime and ended with a game-high five offensive boards, also matching her season high.
What’s next?
Following tonight’s home win over the New York Liberty in a thrilling Sunday night showdown, our Seattle Storm will continue a three-game homestand in a few days on Tuesday, June 24th, 2025. That game has a tipoff time of 7PM PDT, as the Indiana Fever roll into town for a game that will be broadcast live on NBA TV nationally and on CW Seattle locally. Our Storm, currently holding the fifth best record in the WNBA, will host a Fever team that hasn’t quite fully put it together yet as they sit at eighth in the league having lost three of their last five, including a contest today against the Las Vegas Aces. Tickets remain available for that Tuesday night contest by clicking here, and for those in the Seattle area, unable to attend that game at Climate Pledge Arena with us, and looking to be surrounded by fans of the Storm when you’re watching this game , you can always head to the official home of Circling Seattle Sports: Rough & Tumble Pub! With more than enough televisions for ALL of the sports, local brews, great food, there isn't a better place to catch a game and R&T is an especially great place to watch any Storm game considering that it’s Seattle's home to women's sports!
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