Skylar Diggins scored a game-high 24 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 21 to lift the visiting Seattle Storm to a 94-88 victory against the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.
Playing the opener of a five-game road trip, the Storm led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter. Chicago drew within seven with 2:22 left before Seattle closed out the Sky in Angel Reese’s return to the lineup from a back injury.
Ogwumike drilled a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 89-79 with 35.5 seconds to go. Diggins and Ogwumike connected on three treys apiece.
Seattle (18-18) stretched its lead for the eighth and final WNBA playoff spot to one game over the idle Los Angeles Sparks.
Chicago (8-26) dropped into a tie with Dallas for the second-most losses in the league. The Sky fell to 1-11 since the All-Star break, but welcomed Reese back to the fold. The second-year forward finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in her first action since July 29.
Reese, who entered play averaging a WNBA-best 12.6 rebounds per game, had missed seven straight contests and nine of the past 10.
She contributed six points and four boards in the first half while getting re-acclimated early, scoring a fast-break layup 46 seconds into the game off a Rachel Banham steal.
Dominique Malonga (15 points), Brittney Sykes (12) and Ezi Magbegor (11) also scored in double figures for the Storm. Magbegor grabbed eight rebounds and Malonga added seven.
Ariel Atkins tallied 19 points for Chicago. Kia Nurse followed with 13 points, Kamilla Cardoso chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and six assists and Elizabeth Williams contributed10 points and nine boards.
Seattle took a 46-34 lead into intermission, with Diggins (12 points), Ogwumike (11) and Gabby Williams (nine) sparking a balanced attack. In the opening half, the Storm shot 57.6 percent from the floor compared to 35 percent for the Sky, who surged to a four-point advantage in the first 1:28 and again late in the first quarter before fading.
Chicago struggled to a 6-for-22 shooting effort in the second quarter, getting outscored 26-14.
Seattle clinched the season series with Chicago, earning its second victory in as many games. The Storm are set to host the Sky on Aug. 30.
–Field Level Media
