Late Mystics surge dooms Storm as stars struggle

Published 6:45 pm Sunday, July 13, 2025

After putting an odd saga with the Connecticut Sun behind it in a 79-65 win on Friday night, the Seattle Storm fell back into the loss column against the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon at Climate Pledge Arena. A 27-14 surge in the final quarter from Washington erased an eight-point Seattle lead and fossilized the Storm’s strong 27-16 third quarter.

Washington’s rookie All-Stars in Kiki Iriafen (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Sonia Citron (17 points) each had key buckets down the stretch while veteran Brittney Sykes scored 10 of her 19 points in the fourth to bring home the win with a 19-6 run late. Seattle lost the points-in-the-paint battle 48-30, a rarity for the bigger squad.

Storm head coach Noelle Quinn wasn’t thrilled with the way her team finished, but pointed to the struggles in the first quarter. The Storm scored just 10 points in the opening frame for the second game in a row, shooting 3-for-18 and turning the ball over five times. In the end, the Storm would shoot just 36.2% from the field, its third-worst mark of the season.

“We allowed their physicality to dictate what we did offensively, which wasn’t a lot,” Quinn said, as the Mystics tied Seattle in turnovers at 15 apiece to become the seventh team to have the same or fewer turnovers in a game as the Storm this season.

Stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins each had their share of struggles with the physical defense. Ogwumike scored 16 points on 5-for-15 shooting, a tough figure considering Quinn’s stated belief that her team relies on Ogwumike’s efficiency to win points in the paint. Diggins struggled from early on, as air balls in the first quarter culminated in a 10-point game on 4-for-14 shooting.

It wasn’t All-Star Gabby Williams’ night offensively, as she finished with six points. Williams also asked Quinn to be substituted out of the game late due to an apparent injury as the veteran hobbled off the floor. Quinn did not have an update on the nature or severity of the injury postgame.

On the flipside, All-Defensive center Ezi Magbegor tied the game-high with a season-high 19 points. Magbegor scored off fake handoff drives, putbacks and knocked down a 3-pointer in the second quarter. The loss marked her fourth-straight game scoring 13 or more, a triumphant stretch considering the former All-Star came into Sunday averaging just under eight points per game.

“My teammates, the coaches, everyone has instilled a lot of confidence in me. So just being able to find pockets of defensive aggression and impact,” Magbegor said.

For Quinn, the increased offensive presence is a sign of her star center’s condition.

“She’s getting healthy, and she won’t admit that, but that’s the first thing I see,” Quinn said. “She’s back to pushing the ball up the floor … when teams try not to guard her, it really impacts us. When she scores, you’ve got to make sure you’re on her and give her more attention.”

Quinn declined to elaborate on what Magbegor is recovering from.

Waiver addition Tiffany Mitchell starred in her second appearance for the Storm, scoring all of the 12 bench points for Seattle and playing a decent portion of the final stretch of the tight game. Mitchell played 21 minutes after being signed by Seattle on Thursday, scoring on tough drives through the lane and by hitting two key triples. With veteran forward Alysha Clark in an offensive funk as of late, having scored 17 points in six games, Mitchell’s arrival could prove key for Quinn’s plans down the road.

For Mitchell, a metered approach is helping her to adjust to the new digs.

“It’s just no pressure,” Mitchell said. “I’m trying to be me, but within the system that was here before me.”

With one more game at home against the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday before the All-Star break, Seattle has a chance to enter its six-day break on a high note.

The issue?

The Storm is 0-2 against the expansion franchise from the Bay Area.

“The Valkyries have our number, and my team knows that,” Quinn said, emphasizing the need for rest ahead of what will likely be another war of attrition. “The effort we showed tonight, we cannot show on Wednesday.”