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#1 Lynx downed by Storm 62-61 in upset of the year
The Seattle Storm were without superstar Sue Bird this evening, but the home team banded together against the best team in the land, the Minnesota Lynx and came up with the 62-61 win. Interim Head Coach Gary Kloppenburg gets his biggest win in his short tenure of coaching. This will be one that he and the Storm players will watch with joy Thursday morning as this win puts the Storm over the thin line into the playoffs.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| MIN | 20 | 11 | 20 | 10 | 61 |
| SEA | 22 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 62 |
This game was back and forth the entire game, we saw 10 ties and 17 lead changes. The tempo of the game slowed as strong defense from Seattle would see the Storm hold the Lynx to a mere 33% from the field.
All credit to Jewell Loyd for 2 blocked shots, including key block with 21 seconds left on the clock to prevent the Lynx from taking the lead. Jewell, the 9th highest scorer in the WNBA, would have a tough night, but she would go for 16 points and show grit even when the shots didn’t fall.
.@kpwashington shot of the game | @Crystalanghorne with the game winner!!! pic.twitter.com/lgOcEMqoPz
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) August 17, 2017
Storm center Crystal Langhorne made the winning shot under the rim to give Seattle a point lead with 11 seconds left. The Lynx would come storming down the court and Maya Moore would take a shot on the baseline, however, the ricochet and failed put back by Sylvia Fowles would be the undoing of Minnesota as the 7,876 faithful fans would erupt in a victory cheer.
Breanna Stewart had to grind inside to get her 11 rebounds. The Storm would get out rebounded 40-32, but Breanna would keep a semblance of inside presence against the towering Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles. The early going was tough for Breanna, but she would catch fire late and eventually end up with 12 solid points.
https://twitter.com/seattlestorm/status/898020968123179008
.@___PistolPete1 with the buzzer beater! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/E9oMzPW6BY
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) August 17, 2017
Reserve guard Alexis Petersen came up big when Sue Bird was out. Petersen scored 6 points, but the energy and fire that she brought to the court was to be admired.
@SeattleSportsU Alexis Petersen of @seattlestorm drives and finishes for the layup pic.twitter.com/V8tg5Eq4oP
— Abraham DeWeese (@AbrahamDeWeese) August 17, 2017
Standings
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Minnesota Lynx – x | 21 | 5 | 0.808 | – |
| Los Angeles Sparks – x | 20 | 8 | 0.714 | 2 |
| Connecticut Sun – x | 18 | 9 | 0.667 | 3.5 |
| Washington Mystics | 16 | 11 | 0.593 | 5.5 |
| New York Liberty | 15 | 12 | 0.556 | 6.5 |
| Phoenix Mercury | 14 | 13 | 0.519 | 7.5 |
| Dallas Wings | 13 | 16 | 0.448 | 9.5 |
| Seattle Storm | 12 | 16 | 0.429 | 10 |