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 in just three quarters of Monday’s game. Diggins finished the game with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, in a playing time of 22 minutes and 51 seconds. According to data, this is the shortest playing time in WNBA history to achieve a triple-double. The player watched the last quarter from the bench, while her team, the Seattle Storm, won against Connecticut with a score of 101-85. Temeka Johnson was the only Storm player to have achieved a triple-double during a regular season or playoff game. This achievement adds to the triple-double that Diggins achieved in the WNBA All-Star Game earlier this month. After reaching double figures in rebounds only once in her 11 WNBA seasons, Diggins attributed her focus on rebounding to a conversation with Seattle coach Noelle Quinn during the All-Star break.Diggins had no problem getting the 10 assists, achieving them shortly after halftime. Seven of her 11 assists were for Nneka Ogwumike, who scored 26 points, the most in the game.“Reiterating the rebound and just chasing 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
“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
Midway through 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 figures in scoring, something she had achieved in all but two games this season.
Diggins had already surpassed her season high with seven rebounds in Seattle’s first game after the break, a 38-point victory over the Chicago Sky. However, 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’s like the reward, you know, being coachable and understanding that rebounding isn’t just about getting a triple-double or stats, but about helping 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
“It was great that it happened tonight,” Diggins said. “After a loss, I wanted to bounce back. Regardless of what the numbers were, just trying to do my part. I didn’t like how I played in Washington.” When Diggins made the free throws that completed the triple-double, the Storm bench erupted.
Skylar Diggins
“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 that we really needed, was a special moment that she got to share with her teammates. And I love that everyone loved that for her.”
Noelle Quinn
