The Seattle Storm couldn’t hold off the Minnesota Lynx in a tight contest Tuesday night, falling 91–87 despite a strong showing from Nneka Ogwumike. The veteran forward led Seattle with 23 points, marking her 140th career game with at least 20 points, a milestone that puts her seventh all-time in WNBA history, ahead of legends Lauren Jackson and DeWanna Bonner.
Minnesota’s momentum in the second half proved decisive. Courtney Williams delivered 14 of her 20 points after the break, while Jessica Shepard contributed a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. In the game’s final moments, Kayla McBride was flawless at the line, sinking six clutch free throws in the last 30 seconds to seal the win for the Lynx.
Newly acquired DiJonai Carrington made an immediate impact for Minnesota in her debut, scoring 13 points just days after being traded from Dallas. Bridget Carleton hit four critical 3-pointers in the second half to finish with 12 points, and McBride added 14 overall.
Seattle saw balanced scoring from Erica Wheeler with 19 points, Dominique Malonga with 12, and Skylar Diggins adding 11. Gabby Williams chipped in nine points and made history of her own by breaking the Storm’s single-season steals record. With three takeaways on the night, Williams now holds 77 steals this season, surpassing the 74 mark set by Natasha Howard in 2019.
Minnesota, now 25-5, continues to surge with seven wins in their last eight games, despite being without MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier, who missed the game with a right ankle injury. Collier left Minnesota’s previous game, an overwhelming 111-58 win over Las Vegas, after an awkward landing late in the match.
Seattle’s injury list grew as Tiffany Mitchell exited early in the fourth quarter after falling hard on a blocked layup attempt by Carrington. She did not return to the game. The Storm, now 16-14, have dropped three straight and four of their last five games.
Earlier on Tuesday, Seattle made waves with a blockbuster trade, acquiring All-Star Brittney Sykes from Washington. The Storm sent Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, and a 2026 first-round draft pick to the Mystics in exchange for the four-time all-defensive team standout, who’s currently averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Looking ahead, the Lynx will host the Mystics on Friday, while the Storm travel to Las Vegas to take on the Aces.
