Mike Vorel: Here's the formula that led to Storm's stunning playoff win over Aces

Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times on Sep 17, 2025

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SEATTLE — The Storm won by following a formula.

Roughly 90 minutes before a win-or-go-home Game 2, Seattle coach Noelle Quinn laid out a list of non-negotiables.

“It’s utilizing our crowd and our fans to be the X-factor, feeding off the energy, playing at a high level and understanding what’s at stake,” she said Tuesday evening.

In a stunning 86-83 win over the Las Vegas Aces, the persevering Storm did all of the above.

Most important, they did it down the stretch, outscoring the Aces 25-14 in a frenzied fourth-quarter sprint. That included a clutch flourish from rookie center Dominique Malonga, who canned a transition layup through contact and a free throw to give the Storm an 84-83 lead with 31 seconds left. It included a crowning moment for timeless 35-year-old Skylar Diggins, who rose over four-time Aces All-Star Jackie Young with 4.7 seconds left and sank a jumper to extend the lead to 86-83.

It included a karmic clank, as former Storm guard Jewell Loyd’s attempt at a tying three bounced off the iron before time expired.

It included a lot of “Sandstorm,” the thumping house hit by Finnish DJ Darude that played after key baskets in the closing minutes.

Now, the Aces may hear “Sandstorm” in their sleep.

They’ll certainly see Diggins, who exploded for 26 points and seven assists in the win. And Nneka Ogwumike, who added a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. And the 6-foot-6, 19-year-old Malonga, who posted 11 points and 10 boards off the bench.

On Thursday, they’ll see the Storm in Las Vegas for a deciding Game 3.

Before Tuesday, the above sentence seemed incredibly unlikely. The Aces outclassed Seattle in a 102-77 win in Game 1, leading Ogwumike to conclude: “They were ready. I felt like they were more ready than we were when we started the game.”

On Sunday, the Storm looked ready for a long vacation.

On Tuesday, they looked like a different team.

For proof, see their unflinching point guard.

“It’s the playoffs, so you can’t be afraid to take the shot,” said Diggins, who dropped 15 points in the second quarter alone. “I know the ball is in my hands for a reason, to play-make. I just took my opportunity. I think that was the biggest difference in my game personally between game one and two, being relentless and turning the corner, getting in the paint, engaging, making them guard me, just being super aggressive. I feel like nobody can stay in front of me when I have that mindset.”

Not even the Aces, who have the benefit of recent history, having ended Seattle’s season in 2022 and 2024. Not even one of the WNBA’s deepest and most dominant cores — including Young, Loyd and six-time All-Star Chelsea Gray.

Not even three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, arguably the best player in the WNBA.

Not even a sizzling squad that entered the night on a 17-game winning streak.

After that streak was dramatically snapped, Diggins announced to the raucous arena in a postgame interview: “Maybe we just started our own streak.”

That’ll depend on whether the Storm can replicate the winning formula without their X-factor.

Because the Climate Pledge Arena crowd was as advertised — with fans draped in identical white T-shirts, dancing in the aisles; with light-up wristbands changing colors with the speakers’ bumping bass; with black plastic noisemakers constantly clattering behind the baskets; with “DE-FENSE” chants and decibels drowning out everything; with a formidable list of attending sports celebrities, from Jaxon Smith-Njigba to Megan Rapinoe to Paolo Banchero to Jordyn Huitema.

“In the biggest moment where we needed them to be, they were the loudest,” Diggins said. “So we appreciate everybody that supported us. We wish we could bottle that up and take some of that on the road with us.”

They’ll need to bottle more than the Seattle support. They’ll need guard Erica Wheeler (11 points Tuesday) to inject energy off the bench. After out-rebounding Las Vegas 32 to 29, they’ll need to find that same physicality. Heck, they’ll need to channel “Sandstorm,” at least internally.

And they’ll need Malonga to be better than she’s ever been (again).

“There is an evolution in every single game we play,” Ogwumike said of Malonga. “We have not seen the same Dom in two games. She’s just learning and improving that much. We just try our best to continue to empower her to know how truly capable she is.”

The Storm followed a formula Tuesday. They may have thrown their best punch.

But it landed. In Las Vegas, they live to swing again.

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