The Seattle Storm ended the perfect start to the 2025 season for the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday, overcoming an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to win 94-84 at Climate Pledge Arena, leaving the Lynx with a 9-1 record. Minnesota cut the deficit to one point thanks to a three-pointer by Kayla McBride with 1:07 to play, after a Seattle surge at the end of the third quarter. Seattle’s Erica Wheeler responded with a three-pointer, starting a 9-0 run to end the game.
After losing last year to the New York Liberty in a WNBA Finals that went to five games, Minnesota had matched New York’s 9-0 record at the start of 2025, being two of the nine teams in league history to have started 9-0 or better. Minnesota players know they must improve their performance.I’m not worried. This doesn’t mean anything. We didn’t play well enough to win. It’s probably a good message: if you want to win on the road, especially in a place like Seattle and against a team like Seattle, you have to play a lot better.
Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach
Seattle coach Noelle Quinn highlighted her team’s performance against a top-tier opponent as evidence of what the Storm is capable of doing this season.Obviously, it’s more difficult to learn after a defeat, but I think it’s a good time to look inward. They had 50 points in the paint, where we pride ourselves on defense. Things like that just can’t happen if we want to do what we want to do this season, so I think they’re good reminders for us to improve.
Bridget Carleton, Lynx player
Seattle had 56.5% effectiveness thanks to the balanced contributions of the team’s starting five. Nneka Ogwumike scored 21 points and 10 rebounds in her second double-double of the season, while Wheeler dished out nine assists, the most of the season, and scored 20 points. Skylar Diggins scored 18 points and six assists, becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 5,000 points and 1,500 assists in 302 games. Dominique Malonga, the second overall pick, also played a key role for the Storm, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds in 13 minutes of action while defending Collier. According to GeniusIQ tracking, Collier, who had 25 points, the most in the game, missed five of his seven shot attempts when Malonga was his primary defender. The result had important ramifications for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup standings. Seattle tied Minnesota, the current Commissioner’s Cup champion, at the top of the Western standings with a 3-1 record. Although losing is not pleasant for the Lynx, Reeve was already looking towards the team’s next game on Saturday, receiving the Sparks.Minnesota is a great team. They are a well-oiled machine. They play with a lot of continuity, they move the ball. You make a mistake and they make you pay. I think the measuring stick was who would prevail today in terms of discipline, because if you look at Cheryl Reeve’s teams, they are very disciplined in what they do in their system.
Noelle Quinn, Storm coach
