Skylar Diggins scored 24 points and tied a franchise record with 14 assists as the SeattleStorm earned a 77-70 victory over the visiting Phoenix Mercury on Friday in their home opener.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 24 points with eight rebounds and Gabby Williams added 11 points as the Storm (2-1) exacted revenge after they were dominated 81-59 on the road in their season opener against the Mercury.
Diggins tied Sue Bird’s Storm record for assists in a game.
Alyssa Tomas scored 16 points with 11 rebounds, Satou Sabally scored 15 points and Monique Akoa Makani added 14 for the Mercury (2-1). Sabally was held under 25 points for the first time in three games this season.
Phoenix was held to 42.9 percent shooting from the floor after shooting 51.7 percent in the season opener. Seattle improved to 46.9 percent after shooting 33.3 percent in the first game of the season.
The Storm trailed 61-54 with 3:37 remaining in the third quarter before rallying for a 66-61 lead with 8:50 remaining in the game after two free throws from Diggins.
The Mercury pushed back with eight consecutive points from Makani, including consecutive 3-pointers to tie the game 70-70 with 4:48 remaining. A jumper from Diggins and a layup from Ogwumike gave the Storm a 74-70 lead with 2:22 left.
Makani had a shot blocked by Diggins and Kathryn Westbeld missed a turnaround jumper for Phoenix with 1:25 remaining, leading to a layup from Ogwumike that gave the Storm a 76-70 lead with 1:09 on the clock.
The Mercury went 0 of 6 from the floor in the final 3:07, with Diggins and Ogwumike each blocking a shot in the stretch. Thomas and Sabally were held scoreless in the fourth quarter for Phoenix, on a combined 0-of-7 shooting.
After a tight first half, where neither team led by more than five, the Mercury took a 44-42 lead into halftime. Thomas scored 11 points in the first half for Phoenix, which shot 51.5 percent from the floor.
Diggins had 14 points at the half for Seattle, which shot 42.9 percent
–Field Level Media
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