The first-round best-of-three series between the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm is expected to be a thriller. Thursday’s Game 1 in Seattle did not disappoint. In the end the Storm prevailed with a 86-83 win to take a 1-0 lead in the first-round WNBA playoffs series.
Seattle is now one win away from eliminating the Mystics and moving on to the WNBA semifinals.
Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart traded moments in a back-and-forth contest. Delle Donne led the Mystics with a game-high 26 points along with five assists and three rebounds. Stewart countered with a team-high 23 points for the Storm and a game-high 12 rebounds.
But it was Storm guard Jewell Loyd who stole the show Thursday night. Lloyd scored 12 of her 16 points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. She culminated her breakout performance by draining a go-ahead runner over Mystics guard Natasha Cloud with 37.3 seconds remaining.
The Storm took a 82-81 lead. Then after a Cloud turnover, Loyd knocked down a pair of free throws, extending Seattle’s lead to 84-81 with 24.2 seconds left.
With a chance to tie the game, the Mystics turned to Delle Donne. She had been stellar throughout the night. However, he three-pointer ran off the rim into an awaiting Stewart for the rebound, effectively sealing Seattle’s win.
Delle Donne shot 11-of-17 from the field,but missed all four of her three-point attempts. Cloud finished with 16 points and six rebounds, but the WNBA’s assist leader this season had just one dime. All-Star Ariel Atkins chipped in 16 points and four assists.
Washington shot an impressive 48.5% from the field, including 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three.
Seattle countered shooting 50.8% from the field, making 10-of-20 three-pointers. Gabby Williams pitched in 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Former Mystics center Tina Charles added nine points and seven rebounds for Seattle.
Game 2 is Sunday afternoon in Seattle with the Storm having a chance to sweep the series. The Mystics will need to regroup and win Sunday to keep their season alive and shift the series to a decisive Game 3 back in Washington.
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