Diggins makes history: Lightning Triple-Double with Storm in 23 minutes. WNBA

Skylar Diggins Makes History with Triple-Double for the Seattle Storm

In an impressive performance, Skylar Diggins became the second player in Seattle Storm history to achieve a triple-double. The feat occurred on Monday, and Diggins needed only three quarters to accomplish it. Diggins finished the third period with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, in just 22 minutes and 51 seconds of play. According to data, this is the shortest time recorded for a triple-double in the WNBA. The player watched the last quarter from the bench, while Seattle won 101-85 against Connecticut, after having led by up to 32 points. Temeka Johnson is the only other Storm player to have achieved a triple-double in the regular season or playoffs, with 13 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss to the New York Liberty in 2014. This month, Diggins also got the first triple-double in the history of the WNBA All-Star Game. After reaching double figures in rebounds only once in her 11 seasons in the WNBA, Diggins attributed her focus on rebounding to a conversation with Seattle coach Noelle Quinn during the All-Star break.

“Reiterating the rebound and just looking for the ball and how that helps us in the counterattack, just that mentality,” Diggins said. “I know I can rebound the ball, but I was really trying to chase it tonight. Then, obviously, the targets I can pass to, Nneka being one of them, people were getting open.”

Skylar Diggins

Notching 10 assists was no problem for Diggins, who achieved it shortly after halftime. Seven of her 11 assists were for Nneka Ogwumike, who scored 26 points, the most in the game.

“It’s very rare that someone achieves those kinds of things, but when it happens, it makes sense when certain players do it and Sky is at the top of that list,” Ogwumike said. “I wouldn’t want to experience a triple-double with anyone else.”

Nneka Ogwumike

Skylar Diggins joins Temeka Johnson as the only Seattle Storm players to record a triple-double after an 11-point, 12-rebound, and 11-assist performance against Connecticut on Monday.In the middle of the third quarter, Diggins secured her tenth rebound. Quinn, who was Johnson’s teammate during Johnson’s triple-double with the Storm, was happy to see Diggins join Johnson in reaching double digits in scoring, something she had achieved in all but two games this season.

“It’s like the reward, you know, being coachable and understanding that rebounding isn’t just for getting a triple-double or stats, but to help us as a team,” Quinn said. “We were plus 11, I think, on the boards today. We can’t just rely on our interior players.”

Noelle Quinn

Diggins had already surpassed her season high with seven rebounds in Seattle’s first game after the break, a 38-point victory last Thursday over the Chicago Sky. But Diggins was disappointed with her performance on Saturday, when she had a season-low five points on 2-of-10 shooting in a loss to the Washington Mystics.

“It was great that it happened tonight,” Diggins said. “After a loss, I wanted to bounce back. Regardless of what the numbers were, I just tried to do my part. I didn’t like how I played in Washington.”

Skylar Diggins

When Diggins made the free throws that completed the triple-double, the Storm’s bench erupted in jubilation.

“Sky is a special player, and we all know it,” Quinn said. “She’s been through a lot, especially this regular season. For her to do that today, here, on the road in a game we really needed, was a special moment that she could share with her teammates. And I love that everyone loved that for her.”

Noelle Quinn