There were many stars on the floor tonight as Indiana tried to bounce back from their last defeat against Chicago. But no one shone brighter than Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd. The outstanding athlete was hot from the very beginning of the game and gave the Storm the much-needed pace. Hence, the efficiency and experience of the hosting Seattle won the game over Caitlin Clark’s shooting powers. However, the Notre Dame alum had an agonizing start to her phenomenal finish.

Jewell Loyd showed up and showed out tonight. She collected 15 points in the very first ten minutes of the game. However, right before the first quarter was over, she received a bad hit to the eye, sending her out for some time. In the ninth minute of the game, Loyd was going for a deep bucket run when Lexie Hull of Indiana came to screen the guard. But the latter got stuck in between, with Mercedes Russell on the other side.

Consequently, when the former Cardinal tried to come out of the sandwich, her hand hit Loyd in the left eye. Nevertheless, before going into the locker room for a medical checkup, the No. 24 of the Storm shot both of her free throws successfully, tallying the score to 15 points.

While she was out for some time, the relentless 5-ft-11 hooper returned to the floor. Against a blazing Clark who led the Fever to land her eight 20+ performance alongside 7 of assists and rebound each, Loyd posted not just game-high but her season high as well. The guard scored 34 points, going 66.7% from both the field and beyond the arc. Despite the swollen black eye, the 30-year-old went 100% from the free throw line as well. Loyd also added 5 rebounds and 2 assists. She capped it all off with one steal and a block.

While she impressed everyone with her stat line and courage for the night, it was a game to Jewell Loyd who wanted to put up a show.

“It feels good” Jewell Loyd hypes up the home crowd after the win

Seattle Storm had another sold-out crowd tonight with 18,343 fans cheering on them. Their first game against the Fever also attracted just as many. But Jewell Loyd cleared her intentions for why she kept going for the bucket. During her sideline interview, she expressed her feelings for winning at home, “It feels good. It’s always good to play ball in front of your home crowd and in front of your family. So, on to the next one.”

The Storm guard further added about her 34-point win, “You guys came for a show, I’ll give you one.” Interestingly, her previous season-high of 32 points also came against Indiana Fever. Along with this win, the Storm also made a 5-game winning streak at home. They now stand at the second spot in the Western Conference and fourth in the league.

It will be interesting to see if the Storm can keep their winning streak alive as they next host the Dallas Wings for their 9-game homestay. But without a doubt, Jewell Loyd’s performance just might be the confidence boost that this veteran team needed.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.