Diggins-Smith scores 18, Loyd adds 17, Storm grab key win over Sun 71-64

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 18 points, Jewell Loyd added 17 and the Seattle Storm bounced back from…

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — 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 in a rematch 71-64 on Tuesday night.

The Storm got hammered inside in a 93-86 loss at Connecticut on Sunday when they allowed 56 points in the paint and they got off to a similar start 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 inside 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 coming out of the Olympic break and had slipped from third to fifth in the standings. The Storm are battling Las Vegas for the fourth seed and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

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

Seattle was up three when Diggins-Smith made a driving layup for a 65-60 lead with three minutes to go. Connecticut missed two shots on its next possession and then DiJonai Carrington was called for an offensive foul on the next.

With a minute to go and the lead down to four, 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 Carrington scoring inside, and led 18-6 on Bonner’s layup before settling for an 18-13 lead after one.

The key for Seattle was finishing strong, using a 7-0 run to close the first quarter and a 14-2 surge at the end of the second to take a 34-31 halftime lead. A 9-2 run gave Seattle a 55-48 lead going into the fourth quarter.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball