SEATTLE — The fourth quarter of the Seattle Storm’s contest with the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night was nothing new for fans who have tuned in recently.
The offense came to a sudden halt at the end of the fourth to let the league-leading Lynx (25-5) take a nine-point lead, only for Seattle to drain four 3s in the final 70 seconds to pull within two possessions. Star forward Nneka Ogwumike led the charge with 11 of her 23 points coming in the final frame.
Minnesota hit its free throws though, as time ran out on Seattle’s comeback in a 91-87 loss.
It was Seattle’s third close loss in a row, meaning the Storm finished its three-game homestand winless and dropped to 16-14.
The contest came just hours after a massive trade earlier in the day in which Seattle traded fan-favorite Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke and its first-rounder in next year’s draft for Washington All-Star Brittney Sykes. Sykes is slated to arrive in Seattle on Wednesday, as Seattle went into Tuesday’s matchup with nine players suited up.
Sykes is a four-time All-Defensive Team selection and made her first All-Star team with the Mystics this year by averaging 15.4 points and 4.4 assists per game. Seattle still retains Las Vegas’ and Los Angeles’ respective 2026 first-rounders from previous trades.
“This hasn’t happened to me in my tenure, to bring in a player this late in the season,” Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said before the game. “(Sykes is) playing the best basketball of her career. One of our deficiencies is getting to the free-throw line. She’s top in the league in that.”
While Quinn was excited about the prospect of plugging a new asset into her lineup, she had plenty to handle on Tuesday night.
Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn talks with the referee after a mistaken whistle during the game against the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Quinn applauded her team’s resilience, again, in cashing those late shots to keep things alive against Minnesota, but acknowledged the dry spell that put Seattle behind the 8-ball.
“It’s about having another gear or something, whether it’s energy, execution, ability to get to the free throw line,” Quinn said after the game. “There are times where we’re getting late shot clock too many times.”
Minnesota, missing its MVP frontrunner in forward Napheesa Collier, turned to All-Stars Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride. The Lynx also featured its newest acquisition from Dallas in guard DiJonai Carrington, who made her debut in the contest.
Minnesota Lynx’s Courtney Williams calls out a play during the game against the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
All three stepped up for the Lynx in the early going, as Carrington (13 points) came off the bench and made an instant impact with two assists. Williams (20 points) and McBride (14 points) each chipped in to combine for 14 through the first two quarters while Jessica Shepard (13 points, 13 rebounds) scored six first-half points in her fourth start of the season.
But solid fundamental defense from All-Defensive center Ezi Magbegor (eight points, eight rebounds, five assists) down low and 30 combined points from Dominique Malonga (12 points), Nneka Ogwumike (23 points, six rebounds) and Erica Wheeler (19 points, two steals) paced Seattle to a 43-35 lead by the half. Gabby Williams (nine points, three steals) set the Storm’s all-time single-season steals record in the first quarter and is up to 77 on the season with 14 games to play.
Wheeler punctuated a strong Seattle half with a tough size-up 3-pointer from the top of the key to close a 9-2 run at the end of the second. Wheeler’s 19-point performance by the game’s end was her best in over a month.
“Every day I wake up with confidence,” Wheeler said, having shown that confidence with bold drives to the rim all evening. “I knew I had to get downhill, and the rim was open today for me.”
But the Lynx, without their MVP in Collier, left no doubt as to why they’re the top team in the WNBA when the third quarter began.
Bridget Carleton (12 points) hit three 3s to get the Lynx out to a four-point lead in the first four minutes — part of a 16-4 run. Minnesota managed five of its nine 3s in the third.
The Storm fought back to take a one-point lead at the end of the quarter after emotions flared from star guard Skylar Diggins (11 points, seven assists) telling Quinn to challenge a foul call on her. The challenge was unsuccessful and Diggins clapped at a referee, which was met with a warning on account of her untucked jersey.
Seattle Storm’s Skylar Diggins and Minnesota’s Jessica Shepard gesture to the referees for possession and a foul during the game on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
With the pace of the game moving unpredictably, Diggins kept working — the veteran totaled four points and four assists in the quarter.
Seattle needed a decent 10 minutes to outlast the 2024 WNBA runners-up, but was met with an unfortunate start to the fourth. Tiffany Mitchell (five points) drove hard to the right side of the rim early in the quarter, but was blocked from the weakside by Carrington. Mitchell, a midseason addition from Las Vegas, seemed to land awkwardly on her right leg.
After staying down on the baseline for a few minutes, Mitchell was helped off the floor slowly and did not return to the game. Quinn didn’t have an update or clarification on her status postgame, but said the 10-year veteran is “OK.”
The teams stayed deadlocked at 66 apiece for a few minutes, but Minnesota picked up its scoring two minutes into the fourth. Seattle, on the other hand, scored just six points in the opening eight minutes of the quarter — a stretch that landed the Storm in a nine-point hole late. The ball rarely moved as the Storm seemed content to play in isolation deep into each shot clock. Minnesota’s strong on-and-off-ball defense was winning the war.
“The fatigue is setting in,” Wheeler said of the quiet offensive stretch. “Starting five is playing a lot of minutes, but this is our job. This is not an excuse. … We just need to get over that hump.”
Down 79-70 with 2:07 to play, Seattle tried its best with that ridiculous stretch of five contested 3s, but it was too little too late.
Courtney Williams made an ill-advised 3 off back iron with 33.6 seconds remaining and nine seconds on the shot clock to put Minnesota up seven and cap a 14-point second half for the All-Star.
The Storm’s offense simply went missing when the team had a chance to win the game, and showed up when that chance was pulled away.
Seattle will do battle with 15-14 Las Vegas on the road on Friday, with the winner claiming possession of the sixth seed. The Storm hasn’t lost four straight games this season.
With Seattle’s newest star in Sykes just hours away from touching down, Quinn looked to the bright side after the loss.
“We continue to put ourselves in positions where we can win those games. To get over the hump, we got somebody coming in here who can help us do that.”
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