Ezi Magbegor scored a game-high 21 points as the host Seattle Storm held off the Chicago Sky 74-71 on Wednesday night.
Chicago’s Allie Quigley missed a three-pointer at the buzzer that would’ve sent the game to overtime. The Sky scored the game’s final nine points to give them a shot.
For Seattle, two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Breanna Stewart and reserve guard Epiphanny Prince both returned from a two-game COVID-protocols absence. Stewart scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished two assists. She also had a game-high four steals.
Prince had six points.
Seattle (2-3), which snapped its three-game losing streak, also got six points and a team-high seven assists from Sue Bird. Jewell Loyd added five points and five assists.
However, Loyd shot just 2-of-10 from the floor, missing all four of her three-point tries. Bird shot 2-of-9 from the floor, including 2-of-6 on 3-pointers.
Magbegor, who scored mostly in the post and on fast-break layups, made 9-of-13 shots from the floor.
The Sky (2-2), the reigning league champions, were led by Azura Stevens, who scored 18 points. Courtney Vandersloot had a double-double with a game-high 12 assists and 11 points.
Emma Meesseman and Candace Parker each added 11 points for the Sky, and Quigley had eight points.
Chicago, which had its two-game winning streak broken, was without reigning league-Finals MVP Kahleah Copper, who has just finished her overseas season in Spain.
Seattle led 23-22 after the first quarter. There were three tie scores and two lead changes in that tightly contested period.
The Storm pulled away with a strong second quarter, leading 46-34 at halftime. Seattle never trailed in the second quarter, closing the period on an 11-1 run.
For the first half, Seattle shot a sizzling 51.4 percent from the floor, including 4-for-11 on 3-pointers (36.4 percent).
Magbegor led all first-half scorers with 13 points. Stevens had 11 points for Chicago.
Chicago won the third quarter – but barely. Seattle led 58-49 heading into the fourth.
Seattle led 74-62 with 2:28 left in the game. Parker scored seven points in the final 89 seconds in her attempt to rally the Sky.
–Field Level Media