Jewell Loyd scored 12 points of her 16 points in the final five minutes on Thursday night, helping to propel the Storm past the Mystics in game one by a score of 86-83. Seattle’s Breanna Stewart and Washington’s Elena Delle Donne both dominated all game long in what was a good, close game throughout.
Loyd did not score a field goal until there was 4:52 left in the game, but starting with that had a dominant fourth quarter.
Elena Elle Donne missed a 3-point shot attempt late for Washington, then Stewart sealed the deal for the Storm with two free throws with 14.6 seconds left in the game.
Stewie had 23 points and 12 rebounds in the game for Seattle. Gabby Williams had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Sue Bird scored 10 and made her 100th career 3-pointer in the playoffs. With that she became just the fourth player in WNBA history to accomplish that feat.
EDD had 26 points as well as five assists despite missing that late three. She shot 11-17 on the night but was 0-4 from 3-point range. It was still a dominating postseason return for her. It was the first playoff game she has played in since the Mystics won the title in 2019. Ariel Atkins had 16 points and Natasha Cloud had 16 too as well as 6 rebounds. Rookie Shakira Austin added 12 points and 7 rebounds.
Game two is on Sunday. Tip-off will be at 4:00 P.M. ET in Seattle.