Nneka Ogwumike scored 19 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith added 16 points with nine assists as the Seattle Storm continued to show improvement with their revamped roster by rolling to a 101-69 victory Saturday against the visiting Washington Mystics.
Jewell Loyd added 18 points as last season’s top scorer in the WNBA continued to blend in with Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith, who were added via free agency during the offseason.
Ezi Magbegor had 16 points and Sami Whitcomb had 12 as Seattle has won three of its past four games after dropping its first two of the season. It was the second time in seven days the Storm earned a victory over the Mystics after winning 84-75 at Washington last Sunday.
The Storm shot 61.7 percent from the floor, the second-highest percentage for a game in franchise history.
Karlie Samuelson scored 16 points and Jade Melbourne added 13 for the Mystics, who remain winless after six games. Julie Vanloo had 12 points for Washington, which is playing without Elena Della Donne, who opted out of the season.
Mystics leading scorer Ariel Atkins was held to two points on 0-of-12 shooting from the floor. She was also 0 of 3 from 3-point range.
The Storm left little doubt from the outset, going on an 8-2 run to close the first quarter to lead by double digits 25-15. Seattle led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter and took a 50-41 advantage into halftime by shooting 52.9 percent from the floor.
The Storm went up by 17 at 65-48 midway through the third quarter on a layup from Ogwumike off an assist from Diggins-Smith and led 76-59 through three quarters.
A 9-2 run early in the fourth quarter gave Seattle an 85-61 lead with 7:10 remaining and they cruised to the victory.
The Mystics were held to 34.3 percent shooting from the floor.
–Field Level Media
