SEATTLE — It was a hard-fought battle on Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena, but the Seattle Storm came up short in a 94-87 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
Despite leading by as many as 17 points in the third quarter, the Storm couldn’t hold off a late surge from Atlanta, dropping to 2-3 on the season.
The Storm were without veteran forward Alysha Clark, a three-time WNBA champion whose leadership and defensive presence have made a major impact in her return to Seattle this season. Clark’s absence was felt, especially down the stretch, as the Dream capitalized on key second-half moments.
Skylar Diggins led the way for Seattle with 20 points, shooting 60% from the field and converting 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and six rebounds, reaching a career milestone by surpassing Taj McWilliams-Franklin for 10th on the WNBA’s all-time rebounding list with 3,014.
Erica Wheeler put on a well-rounded performance with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a steal—becoming the first player in franchise history to record those stats in their debut start. Wheeler also reached the 7,000-minute mark in her WNBA career, becoming just the fourth undrafted player to do so.
Gabby Williams continued her hot streak, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, adding two steals—including her 100th as a Storm player—and extending her streak of games with multiple three-pointers to five. She’s now tied with Storm legend Sue Bird for the third-fastest player in franchise history to hit 100 steals (64 games).
Seattle opened strong, starting the game on a 10-2 run and grabbing a season-high 12 rebounds in the first quarter. The Storm dominated the paint in the first half with 30 points down low—matching the most by any WNBA team in a half this season—and held Atlanta to just 32.2% shooting from the field before halftime.
Coming out of the break, Seattle scored the first three buckets to extend their lead to 51-34. But Atlanta clawed back with a 15-5 run, trimming the lead to 69-66 entering the fourth. With 7:34 left in the game and the score tied at 70, Allisha Gray delivered a five-point swing to give the Dream the lead for good.
The Storm pulled within two at 82-80, but Atlanta closed the game strong, fueled by Rhyne Howard’s 33 points and Gray’s 28-point effort. Naz Hillmon also chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
UP NEXT:
The Storm return to Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday, June 1, to face the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces at 3:00 p.m. PT in their first Commissioner’s Cup qualifying game.
The matchup will air live on KOMO and The CW Seattle, and stream on Prime Video for Washington state viewers.
