Las Vegas, NV — Nneka Ogwumike delivered a powerhouse performance with 25 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Seattle Storm to a hard-fought 90–83 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Skylar Diggins-Smith added 24 points and six assists, continuing her strong return to form, while Gabby Williams notched her first career double-double with 18 points and 12 boards. Erica Wheeler came up big in the clutch, scoring 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter to help Seattle improve to 8–5 on the season.
The Aces (5–7) was led by Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson, who each scored 22 points. Wilson also grabbed 14 rebounds in her return from a three-game absence due to concussion protocol. Rookie Aaliyah Nye had a breakout performance, tallying a season-high 13 points off the bench.
Despite Wilson’s return, the Aces fell into unfamiliar territory—dropping their third straight game, a rare skid for the defending champs and only the second time that’s happened since their sweep by Seattle in the 2020 WNBA Finals.
With the game tied late, Seattle pulled away thanks to a decisive 9–2 run sparked by Wheeler’s 3-pointer and capped off by buckets from Diggins and Ogwumike, giving the Storm an 88–81 lead with under three minutes to go. Over the final 5:30, the Aces missed all three of their field goal attempts, went 3-of-6 from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over twice.
Ogwumike added two steals on the night, climbing to sixth on the WNBA’s all-time steals list with 636—passing Sancho Lyttle and Jia Perkins in the process.
Jewell Loyd, facing her former team, contributed 15 points for Las Vegas. The six-time All-Star spent a decade with Seattle, winning two titles after being selected first overall in the 2015 draft. She was traded to the Aces last offseason at her request.
This was the third meeting between the two teams this season. Seattle dominated their first matchup with a 102–82 win on May 25, while the Aces evened the series with a 75–70 win on June 1.
What’s Next:
The Aces will face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
The Storm, winners of five of their last six, return home to host the New York Liberty on Sunday.
