Dominique Malonga notched a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double and Natisha Hiedeman scored 18 points as the host Seattle Storm defeated the Chicago Sky 97-88 on Monday to stop an 11-game losing streak.
Zia Cooke (16 points) and Jordan Horston (10) also finished in double figures to help the Storm withhold a late Sky run.
Chicago (12-23) fell behind by 17 with 8:58 left in the third quarter. However, the Sky trimmed the deficit to 68-64 at the 1:01 mark despite a steady effort from Malonga, who contributed 11 points in the quarter on 4-for-5 shooting.
DiJonai Carrington paced the Sky with a career-best 26 points off the bench, and her layup off a steal brought Chicago within 84-82 with 2:52 left. Seattle regained control with a Malonga layup and Cooke trey in the next 40 seconds as part of a 13-6 run to close the game.
The Sky lost for the third time in four games to fall seven games behind Dallas for the final WNBA playoff spot.
Seattle (7-28) earned its first victory since an 18-point win at Los Angeles on July 6. The Storm’s second 11-game slide of the season featured five losses by two possessions or fewer, including a five-point road loss to the Sky on July 15.
Kamilla Cardoso had a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Sky, while Courtney Vandersloot added 13 points. Natasha Cloud had eight assists, one shy of Hiedeman’s game-high nine.
Playing without leading scorer Sydney Taylor (left groin) for the third successive game, Chicago struggled to establish an offensive rhythm throughout the first half.
Seattle limited Chicago to 33.3% shooting before the break, including a 2-for-7 effort from deep, while forcing the Sky into nine turnovers.
The Storm surged ahead by 15 on a pair of Horston free throws with 3:44 remaining in the second quarter. Chicago answered with a Carrington 3-pointer and Elizabeth Williams’ layup over the next two possessions, but Seattle regrouped to take a 47-33 lead into halftime.
Malonga and Carrington both scored 11 points in the first half.
Flau’jae Johnson (left ankle) and Katie Lou Samuelson (right knee) missed the game for Seattle, while Skylar Diggins (right knee) remained out for the Sky.
–Field Level Media
