Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd tied a WNBA record on Friday, scoring 22 points in the first quarter.
The high-scoring outburst matched the record set by Diana Taurasi in 2006 and later tied by Brittney Sykes in 2019. It was also the most points ever scored in the first quarter of a WNBA game.
Loyd got hot immediately after tip-off and reached double-digits within the first two minutes of the contest.
Five and a half minutes into the game, Loyd hit a three-pointer to give her 22. However, she didn’t get another bucket over the remaining 4:21 of the opening quarter. Her 28 points by halftime were the most by a WNBA player this season, and the team’s 61 total points at the half tied a franchise record.
Loyd finished the game with a career-high 37 points and helped give the Storm a 94-85 victory over the Phoenix Mercury, clinching a first-round playoff bye.
“Coming into the game, I was trying not to think,” Loyd said, via the Seattle Times. “I was zoning out during the pregame talks and just trying to let my mind be clear. My teammates were hyping me up. I like when they’re happy so I was just trying to get us going early and that helped us get a win.”
In 31 games this season, Loyd is averaging 31 minutes per contest and 17.9 points per game.
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