Washington Mystics center Stefanie Dolson shoots the ball during the WNBA All-Star Game 3-point contest at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Friday, July 19, 2024. The Seattle Storm have yet to improve their playoff position since returning from the Olympic break. The Washington Mystics, meanwhile, have fallen even further out of the postseason race during that stretch.
Both teams go for their first win since the WNBA season resumed last week when Seattle visits Washington on Tuesday night.
The Storm (17-10) were tied for third in the league standings and had a 9 1/2-game lead over the first team sitting outside the postseason field — the ninth-place Atlanta Dream — when teams returned to action on Thursday.
That advantage has dwindled to 7 1/2 games after Seattle lost 83-81 to the Dream on Friday and fell 92-75 to the Indiana Fever on Sunday. The Storm surrendered more than 50 points in the second half of both losses, which have dropped them into fifth place in the eight-team playoff field.
“We have to be a little bit more aggressive on the ball, especially when teams spread us out,” Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said.
“… We have to address our defensive presence, awareness (and) physicality.”
Quinn’s squad concludes a four-game road trip against a Mystics team that has fallen five games out of a playoff spot following two losses in three days, both against the Minnesota Lynx.
Washington (6-21) committed 18 turnovers in Saturday’s 99-83 home loss after tallying 16 giveaways in Thursday’s 79-68 road setback.
“It was obvious that we were better when we played with pace, no matter who was on the floor,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said, per The Washington Post.
Thibault attributed Saturday’s miscues to the team’s underdeveloped chemistry, which partly stems from injuries to multiple key players throughout the season.
“We look like we’re trying to figure each other out, who’s supposed to be where,” Thibault said.
Stefanie Dolson made all eight of her field-goal attempts, including six 3-pointers, and finished with 23 points for the Mystics on Saturday. Dolson’s 10.6 points per game rank third on the team behind Ariel Atkins’ 15.5 and Shakira Austin’s 11.9.
Jewell Loyd had 26 points for the Storm on Sunday to boost her scoring average to 20.4, fourth best in the league.
Seattle won 84-75 at Washington on May 19 and earned a 101-69 home win over the Mystics on May 25. The teams conclude their four-game regular-season series next Monday in Seattle.
–Field Level Media
