Diggins-Smith scores 18, Loyd adds 17, Storm takes key win over Sun

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 18 points, Jewell Loyd added 17 and the Seattle Storm bounced back from a tough loss at Connecticut last weekend to beat the Sun 71-64 in a rematch on Tuesday night.

The Storm were hammered from within in a 93-86 loss at Connecticut on Sunday when they allowed 56 points in the paint, and they started in similar fashion on Tuesday. The Sun led by 12 in the first quarter and nine in the middle of the second with a big rebounding advantage and 20 points in the paint. By the end, the Storm had a 40-34 advantage from within and won the rebounding battle 31-30.

Nneka Ogwumike scored 14 points and Gabby Williams added 11 for Seattle (20-13), which was 2-5 after the Olympic break and had fallen from third to fifth in the standings. The Storm battle Las Vegas for the fourth seed and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

DeWanna Bonner had 26 points and Brionna Jones 21 for the Sun (24-9).

Seattle led by three when Diggins-Smith made a layup for a 65-60 lead with three minutes left. Connecticut missed two shots on its next possession, then DiJonai Carrington was penalized for an offensive foul on the next.

With a minute left and a four-point lead, the Storm made 5 of 8 free throws to offset Bonner’s 3-pointer.

The Sun scored the first eight points of the game, starting and ending with an inside goal by Carrington, and led 18-6 on a layup by Bonner before settling for an 18-13 lead after one point.

The key for Seattle was to finish strong, with a 7-0 run to close the first quarter and a 14-2 surge late in the second quarter to take a 34-31 halftime lead. A 9-2 run gave Seattle a 55-48 lead in the fourth quarter.

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