Storm fall flat in fourth quarter, open WNBA playoffs with loss to Aces

At the most inopportune time, the Storm stopped scoring. They led at the start of the fourth quarter and seemingly had the two-time defending champions on the ropes.

And then, inexplicably Seattle’s offense came to a crashing halt. The midrange jumpers didn’t fall. The layups rimmed out and the three-pointers badly missed the mark.

At the other end, Las Vegas backup guard Tiffany Hayes raced around defenders for baskets and Chelsea Gray, who tormented the Storm in the playoffs two years ago, drained a couple of her signature step-back jumpers as the Michelob ULTRA Arena crowd cheered.

The Storm lost 78-67 in Game 1 on Wednesday night and it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to recover from an epic fourth-quarter collapse in which they shot 0 for 12 from the field in the final period.

Seattle was outscored 14-2 in the decisive fourth quarter.

Skylar Diggins-Smith led Seattle with 16 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two blocks. Gabby Williams added 14 points and seven rebounds while Nneka Ogwumike had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Horston chipped in 10 points.

Game 2 is Tuesday in Las Vegas.

In their most recent matchup two weeks ago in Seattle, the Aces raced out to a 29-18 lead in the first quarter and held on for an 85-72 win.

“We can’t spot the defending champs 29 points at their house,” coach Noelle Quinn said before Sunday’s game. “If we get down early, you can consider it a wrap. That’s reality. Not being negative and not being anything but real. The start is huge.

“The first five minutes and the first couple of possessions, we have to be locked in and we have to be focused. We can’t get too high and too low. The crowd here has the ability to make you feel like you’re out of the game after one three-point shot. It’s about making sure we stay confident and executing what we’ve talked about for the last couple of days.”

Per Quinn’s instructions, the Storm orchestrated a near-perfect performance in the first half. They got balanced scoring from Diggins-Smith,  Ogwumike and a bonus offensive contribution from backup center Mercedes Russell, who started in place of Ezi Magbegor (concussion).

And more significantly, they put Wilson in handcuffs while holding her to 1-for-8 shooting. The Aces converted just 2 of 18 shots in the period, while the Storm took an 18-7 lead late in the first and went into the second up 18-9.

But the good times didn’t last long.

The Aces roared back with a 14-4 run.

Gray drained a midrange jumper that put Las Vegas on top for the first time at 23-22 with 6:12 left in the second.

The lead changed five times before the break and Seattle went into halftime ahead 42-38.

Wilson reclaimed her shooting touch in the third quarter and sank 7 of 10 shots for 15 points, but Williams and Diggins-Smith combined for 16 points and the Storm took a 65-64 lead into the fourth.

Wilson finished with 21 points and Hayes had 20 for Las Vegas, which is 16-4 against Seattle in the past four years.

Note

• Diggins-Smith was named The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year and Ogwumike was selected to the AP All-WNBA Second Team. The awards were voted on by a panel of national women’s basketball sports writers.

This story will be updated