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Dominique Malonga carved a piece of Seattle Storm and WNBA history during the team's matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday evening.
In 30 minutes of action off the bench, Malonga finished with a stat line of 20 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. She shot 9-of-12 from the field, including 1-of-1 from beyond the arc.
It marked the second straight game that the rookie pulled off recording 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds. As a result, she became the first rookie in franchise history, and 10th rookie in WNBA history, to record consecutive games of 20 points and 10 rebounds, per the team's PR account.
How Dominique Malonga, Storm played against Sparks
Despite Dominique Malonga's historic achievement, it wasn't enough as the Storm lost to the Sparks in a 94-91 nailbiter.
They exchanged blows in the first half as Seattle led 26-14 after the first quarter before Los Angeles responded to have the 46-45 edge at halftime. The second half was tight as both squads refused to give each other momentum, but the Sparks made enough plays down the stretch to secure the home win.
Shot selection made the difference in this Western Conference matchup. The Sparks made the most of their homecourt advantage, converting 53.1% of their total shot attempts, including 51.9% of their tries from downtown. The Aces didn't have the same type of success, knocking down 47.4% of their shots overall, including 37.5% from three. They also lost in triples made, as the hosts took that category 14-9.
Four players scored in double-digits on Seattle's behalf, including Malonga. Brittney Sykes had a strong scoring display of 27 points, four steals, three assists, and a block. She shot 11-of-21 overall, including 3-of-7 from downtown. Skylar Diggins came next with 17 points and six assists, while Nneka Ogwumike had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Seattle fell to a 16-16 record on the season, holding the fifth spot of the Western Conference standings. They are even with the Golden State Valkyries while being two games behind the Las Vegas Aces.
The Storm will look to end their five-game losing streak in their next matchup, being at home. They host the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 13 at 10 p.m. ET.
