BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Breanna Stewart scored 37 points, including 11 to start the fourth quarter, to help the Seattle Storm defeat the Las Vegas Aces 93-80 in Game 1 of the WNBA Friday night finals
Jewell Loyd added 28 points and Sue Bird recorded 16 WNBA playoff assists Bird had 10 first half assists to also break that playoff record Sunday
Stewart added 15 rebounds and four blocks She was one point off the WNBA Finals record set by Angel McCoughtry
With Seattle holding a two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter after a massive rally in Las Vegas, Stewart took over
She scored the first 11 points of the period to restore a double-digit advantageThe 2018 MVP, who missed last season with a torn Achilles tendon, hit three 3-pointers in the groundbreaking flurry
McCoughtry scored 20 points to lead Las Vegas, which was in the WNBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to Nevada city three years ago The team was in the final in 2008 when located in San Antonio League MVP A’ja Wilson added 19 points
Seattle is looking to become the third team to win four titles, joining Houston and Minnesota The Storm were champions in 2004, 2010 and 2018
The Storm trailed 34-31 with 6:26 left in the second quarter before launching 26-6 to end the half-time Stewart and Loyd combined for 17 points during that push as Seattle scored the 14 first points of the burst
Seattle increased the lead to 19 to start the third quarter, but the Aces rallied with a huge run of their own to tie at 67 just before the end of the quarter.
HAND HELP: Bird broke 14 assists record she held with Chicago’s Courtney Vandersloot Eight players had reached 11 assists in a playoff game ahead of Bird’s record performance
TOP SELLER: Bird had the best-selling WNBA jersey this season, the league announced earlier on Friday This is the first time in his career that the Storm Guard leads the list Wilson was sixth on the list and Stewart seventh The Storm was the overall leader in popularity of merchandise The Aces were fourth on the list
MISSING: Both teams will be unreservedly key in the final Dearica Hamby, WNBA’s sixth Woman of the Year, suffered a knee injury in the semifinals against Connecticut and is not expected to play in the Le Seattle sniper Sami Whitcomb left the bubble to be with his wife as she gives birth to the couple’s first child
Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, 2018 WNBA Finals, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson
World News – USA – Stewart raises Storm to victory WNBA Ace Game 1 Final
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
