The playoff heat is on. The Las Vegas Aces took over the Seattle Storm 78-67 in the first-round opener. While the final score suggests a comfortable Aces win, it was anything but. In fact, Seattle went into the fourth quarter with a one-point lead! However, things came crashing down for them as A’ja Wilson and the Aces turned it on in the final quarter, ensuring a win in Game 1. How bad must the Storm have performed for them to not only give up the lead, but lose by a double-digit margin? The numbers tell the story.

In the fourth quarter, Seattle went 0-12 from the field, earning their only two points of the quarter from the free-throw line. The ball somehow seemed heavier for the Storm as none of Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jordan Horston, or Jewell Loyd could even buy one basket.

After entering the final quarter leading 65-64, Gabby Williams missed a jump shot to begin things. It was the same on the other side as well with the Aces missing multiple shots. The first bucket came almost three minutes into the quarter, courtesy of Las Vegas’ Kelsey Plum. This gave them the lead and they didn’t look back after that.

Multiple turnovers hurt Seattle as well with Williams, Mercedes Russell, and others giving the ball away. The Storm’s only two points came with 4:07 remaining in the game, as Jackie Young fouled Diggins-Smith and the 34-year-old successfully buried her free throws. This made it a one-possession game again with the Aces leading 70-67. However, Las Vegas put an end to any hope as they converted in their next four possessions to create some separation.

To put it into context, the Storm’s 2-point 4th quarter is tied for the fewest points in a playoff quarter since 2006. Their 0 FGs were the fewest in a WNBA postseason quarter also since 2006.

In the same span, Seattle missed 4 shots and had 3 turnovers. Pretty much summed up their performance. It’s not often that you see a team score 14 points in a quarter and have a 12-point lead in the period. It was a collapse of historic proportions for the Seattle Storm.

Seattle Storm’s 4th quarter performance left Gabby Williams shocked

Williams, who had 14 points and 8 rebounds on the night, said, “I’m still kinda shocked after that fourth quarter.” Nneka Ogwumike had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds but she also saw the biggest issue. “We need to put together four quarters and that’s a mindset, not a skill set.” However, head coach Noelle Quinn was more optimistic than others in the post-game presser.

She stated, “We had 2 and they had 14 so we actually did something good defensively.” She also stated that A’ja Wilson decided to show why she is the MVP in the second half as Seattle’s meltdown might have major repercussions going into Game 2. Will they be able to brush this 4th quarter performance off and come into the next game with the same energy as they did in Game 1?

It must be noted that the Aces were nowhere near their best as Wilson, who averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds in the regular season, had 21 points on 9-21 shooting along with 8 rebounds. Furthermore, 3x All-Star Kelsey Plum had only 2 points. 35-year-old guard Tiffany Hayes came to the rescue as she had 20 points. Game 2 is on Tuesday and the Aces will be hoping to move to the next round.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger