Storm use strong second-half behind Skylar Diggins to upend Lynx

Skylar Diggins scored 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting, and the Seattle Storm finished strong for a 93-79 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Diggins added five assists and four steals for Seattle (21-19), which won for the fourth time in its past five games. Gabby Williams scored 16 points, while Dominique Malonga and Erica Wheeler tallied 13 points apiece off the bench.

Kayla McBride scored 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting to lead Minnesota (30-8). Courtney Williams notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists.

Napheesa Collier also scored 18 points for the Lynx, but she struggled from the field as she made only seven of 23 shots in just her second game back from an ankle injury. She was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Storm shot 44.3 percent (31 of 70) overall and 48.5 percent (16 of 33) from 3-point range. The Lynx shot 44.1 percent (30 of 68) from the field and 37.5 percent (9 of 24) from long distance.

Seattle outscored Minnesota 60-33 in the second half to seize the win.

The Lynx led 46-33 at halftime. Collier made a layup with 8.7 seconds to go in the half to give Minnesota a 13-point advantage heading into intermission.

The Storm outscored the Lynx 34-17 in the third quarter to grab a 67-63 advantage. Seattle ended the quarter on a 9-2 run thanks to a layup by Malonga, a 3-pointer by Wheeler, a free throw by Brittney Sykes and a 3-pointer by Diggins.

The Lynx climbed back within 72-70 after DiJonai Carrington made a pull-up jumper with 8:07 remaining in regulation.

The Storm scored the next five points to increase their lead to seven. Malonga knocked down a 3-pointer and Diggins drove to the rim for a layup with 7:23 to go.

Seattle made it a double-digit lead after Ezi Magbegor made a driving layup to put the Storm on top 86-76 with 3:54 remaining.

The Lynx struggled to close the gap the rest of the way, and ultimately fell by double-digits.

--Field Level Media