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Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor impressively celebrated her contract extension, leading her team to an 80-62 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in their Commissioner’s Cup opener Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Magbegor surprised her teammates with the news of her contract extension during the morning shoot-around.
“I just wanted you guys to hear it from me before it gets announced tonight, but I’m signing back with Seattle,” she said, as reported by Percy Allen of The Seattle Times, prompting cheers and hugs from her teammates.
The news of Magbegor’s one-year, $186,000 deal was met with excitement, particularly from guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, who praised Magbegor's impact on the team.
Later that evening, Magbegor scored a season-high 21 points, setting the tone early with a rebound and a block on the Mercury’s first two offensive possessions. Her performance was instrumental in the Storm’s dominant display, which saw them lead 25-12 by the end of the first quarter. Magbegor couldn’t miss, hitting her first six shots and helping the Storm hold the Mercury to 25% shooting in the first quarter, including 1-for-8 from three-point range.
“She was very aggressive,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “Ezi is the defensive anchor and her agility and aggressiveness jump-starts a lot of what we do on offense. When we’re playing in transition and we’re playing in space, she’s really good.”
Ezi Magbegor is Storm’s defensive powerhouse
Magbegor’s defensive prowess was on full display as she tallied nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Her efforts helped the Storm allow their fewest points since Aug. 31, 2023. By halftime, Seattle had extended their lead to 46-33, despite a late second-quarter run by the Mercury.
The game also saw an incident where Mercury guard Kahleah Copper delivered an inadvertent elbow to Diggins-Smith, resulting in a technical foul. Despite the physicality, Diggins-Smith remained unfazed.
“I’m good, I’m a big girl,” she said. “Our league is physical.”
Seattle playing without Nneka Ogwumike
The Storm continued to dominate in the second half, with Mercedes Russell’s floater putting them up 55-33 in the third quarter. The Mercury never got closer than 14 points for the rest of the game. Seattle’s win was their fifth straight, improving their record to 6-3.
The Storm were playing without forward Nneka Ogwumike, who missed her third game due to an eye injury. Despite this, they executed defensively and maintained control throughout the game. Diggins-Smith contributed 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Jewell Loyd added 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Victoria Vivians had a season-high 10 points and seven rebounds, holding Mercury star Diana Taurasi to just seven points.
Copper led Phoenix with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Natasha Cloud added six rebounds and five assists. The Mercury fell to 4-6 with the loss.
Looking ahead, the Storm will face the two-time defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, Friday, followed by a game against the Minnesota Lynx Sunday.
“Seattle is where I want to be,” Magbegor told the 8,133 fans at Climate Pledge Arena after the game. “I’m just happy that I’ll be around.”
