Nneka Ogwumike saved 11 of her game-high 22 points for a tense fourth quarter Wednesday afternoon and the Seattle Storm beat the visiting Golden State Valkyries for the first time this season, holding on for a 67-58 victory in a defensive struggle.
Erica Wheeler chipped in with 15 points and Skylar Diggins had a game-high six assists to complement 10 points for the Storm (14-9), who had lost two previous matchups with the expansion Valkyries, with both of those games having taken place in San Francisco.
After having fallen eight points behind in the second minute of the final period, an interior hoop by Veronica Burton had the Valkyries (10-12) with 56-54 with 4:48 remaining before Ogwumike took control of the game.
She hit one free throw with 3:07 left for a three-point lead, a layup that extended the margin to five with 2:09 to play and two free throws with 1:18 to go that put Golden State in a seven-point hole from which it never recovered.
Wheeler, Ogwumike and Diggins dropped in two late free throws apiece to ice the win, which was Seattle’s fourth in its last six games.
The Storm won despite shooting just 32.8 percent. Ogwumike went 7-for-15, but her teammates were a combined 14-for-49 (28.6 percent).
The Valkyries were no better. They finished at 31.7 percent, with their top scorers – Cecilia Zandalasini (12 points on 3-for-10) and Janelle Salaun (10 points on 3-for-9) going a combined 6-for-19.
Ogwumike also found time for eight rebounds, matching teammate Ezi Magbegor and Golden State guard Veronica Burton for game-high honors.
Ogwumike had totaled just 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting in the earlier games against the Valkyries, who prevailed 76-70 and 84-57 in those contests.
Both teams also struggled from beyond the 3-point arc, with the Valkyries going 7-for-31 (22.6 percent) and the Storm hitting seven of 29 (24.1 percent).
Burton also had eight points and a team-high four assists for Golden State, which will go into the All-Star break on a three-game losing streak.
-Field Level Media
