SEATTLE — The Seattle Storm dropped their season opener to the Phoenix Mercury, 81-59, Saturday night at PHX Arena, despite the much-anticipated debut of No. 2 overall draft pick Dominique Malonga and a strong showing from veteran Skylar Diggins.
Diggins poured in 21 points, dished out four assists, and recorded four steals in her Storm debut, but Phoenix controlled the game from the tip, scoring the first five points and never relinquishing the lead.
Malonga, who arrived in Seattle just a week ago, checked in at the 5:40 mark of the first quarter. She wasted no time making an impression, scoring her first career points on a layup with 1:43 left in the period.
“I’ve only been here a short time, but I felt the energy right away,” said Malonga postgame. “It’s just the beginning.”
Phoenix (1-0) surged out to a 20-6 advantage before Seattle closed the quarter on a 9-3 run to narrow the gap to 23-15. The Storm (0-1) made another push in the second quarter, using an 11-3 burst to trim the deficit to 36-30, but the Mercury responded with five straight to take a double-digit lead into halftime.
Seattle briefly cut it back to single digits early in the third quarter, but the Mercury responded again, outscoring the Storm 40-29 in the second half to seal the win.
Satou Sabally led all scorers with 27 points for Phoenix, while Alyssa Thomas added 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
For Seattle, Nneka Ogwumike contributed 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. With her second steal of the night, Ogwumike moved into 10th place on the WNBA’s all-time steals list, surpassing DeLisha Milton-Jones.
Gabby Williams made WNBA history by becoming the first player with multiple steals, blocks, and assists in her team’s opening quarter of a season. She also tied for the team high with four assists.
The Storm forced 17 Phoenix turnovers, converting them into 18 points, and logged 10 steals overall. Seattle’s bench chipped in 20 points, with three players scoring six apiece. Center Li Yueru also set a new career high with four assists.
Despite the loss, head coach Noelle Quinn remained optimistic. “We had moments of great energy and disruption defensively,” she said. “This is a new team with a lot of talent—we’re going to keep building.”
UP NEXT: Seattle travels to Dallas to take on a revamped Wings squad featuring Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, and DiJonai Carrington.
Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. PT and will air nationally on NBA TV and locally on the CW Seattle.
