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Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike said she’s encouraged by her team’s progress, even after a narrow 94-91 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday afternoon at Climate Pledge Arena.
“Everyone is fighting for a playoff spot,” Ogwumike said postgame, as reported by Sophia Vesely of The Seattle Times. “The standings change every single game. I’m seeing improvement. We just need 40 minutes of it.”
Seattle (16-16) dropped to .500 on the season after losing a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Dearica Hamby sealed the game for the Sparks (14-18) with a go-ahead three-point play with 5.6 seconds remaining. She scored seven of Los Angeles’ final nine points, finishing with 19 total.
Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 20 points. Seattle’s Brittney Sykes notched 27, while Dominique Malonga added 20 off the bench for Seattle; Skylar Diggins had 17 and Ogwumike contributed 15.
Seattle held a 26-14 advantage after the first quarter, but Los Angeles responded with a 32-14 second quarter to take a six-point halftime lead. The second half saw multiple lead changes, with Seattle briefly pulling ahead 87-80 with 2:52 left following a Diggins basket.
Despite the late lead, the Storm couldn’t hold off the Sparks' closing run. Hamby hit two free throws to tie the game at 87 with 1:25 to play. Plum then gave Los Angeles a two-point edge with 56.5 seconds remaining. Sykes tied it again at 91 with a layup before Hamby answered on the next possession with the game-winner.
“We do a great job of making the big plays,” Ogwumike said. “It’s just kind of the small ones that add up at the end, that we’re working towards getting better at. In the last five games, it’s been a bucket or two that’s made the difference between us coming out with a win.”
Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said she’s looking to make some adjustments as the regular season winds down.
“Just trying to find ways to mix it up,” Quinn said. “Some lineups, some energy, defensively (with) aggressive coverages, offensively (with) simplifying things, play more in transition, move the ball and put players in spots where they can find some success. I have to coach us through it.”
