Stewart leads the way, Loyd has a great finish as Storm beats Mystics in Game 1

SEATTLE — Breanna Stewart had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Jewell Loyd scored 12 of her 16 points in the final five minutes, and fourth-seeded Seattle Storm beat fifth-seeded Washington Mystics 86-83 on Thursday night.

Loyd didn’t make her first field goal until 4:52 into the fourth quarter, but she had a big shot in the final minutes.

Loyd missed a long 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, but Tina Charles grabbed the offensive rebound, leading Loyd’s runner into the lane that gave Seattle an 82-81 lead. Washington turned it over and Loyd was fouled with 24.2 seconds left before making two free throws.

Elena Delle Donne long went for a 3-point attempt for Washington, and Stewart sealed it with two free throws with 14.6 remaining.

« The fact that Jewell stuck to it just goes to show that she’s a vet, » Stewart said. « We’re not rookies anymore, we’ve been here for a while. We know what to do and we stick to the game. »

Gabby Williams added 12 points for Seattle, which hosts Game 2 on Sunday. Sue Bird scored 10 points and became the fourth player in WNBA history with 100 career 3-pointers in the playoffs.

Delle Donne made 11 of 17 shots and scored 26 points for Washington in its first playoff game since the 2019 WNBA Finals. Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins each added 16 points.