Storm hand the Sun their eighth straight loss with a 97-81 victory
SEATTLE (AP) — Skylar Diggins scored 24 points, Gabby Williams had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and the Seattle Storm beat Connecticut 97-81 on Friday night for the Sun's eighth straight loss.
Diggins, Williams and Ezi Magbegor combined to score 35 points in the first half as the Storm led 52-38. Dominique Malonga ran past the defense for a long pass from Diggins and converted a fast-break layup with 1.2 seconds left to cap the first-half scoring.
Advertisement
Seattle opened the second half on a 18-5 run, capped by Nneka Ogwumike's 3-pointer, to build a 27-point lead at 70-43. The Storm outscored the Sun 30-17 in the frame to make it 82-55.
Ogwumike finished with 16 points and Magbegor scored 12 for Seattle (10-6). Malonga scored a career-high 11 points off the bench. Diggins, who entered with 5,102 career points, passed Swin Cash (5,119) for 24th on the WNBA's all-time list.
Rookie Aneesah Morrow had a career-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds and Bria Hartley added 19 points for Connecticut (2-14). Jacy Sheldon scored 15 points and Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 12. Connecticut was without second-leading scorer Marina Mabrey (15.2 points per game) due to a left knee injury.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Maresca calls Chelsea's two-hour weather delay ‘a joke' and questions choice of U.S. Club World Cup venue cities
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has labelled the Club World Cup's storm delays a 'joke' and questioned whether some American cities are 'the right place' to host games in a major tournament. Weather conditions in Charlotte forced a near-two-hour-delay to Chelsea's round-of-16 clash with Benfica on Saturday evening before the Premier League team ran out 4-1 winners in extra time. Advertisement Maresca was furious that play was suspended for 113 minutes while match officials waited for the storm to pass over the Bank of America Stadium. It was the sixth storm-enforced interruption of the Club World Cup so far and the third delay of more than an hour. Angel Di Maria scored a controversial penalty in stoppage time following the restart to send it into extra-time and while Chelsea ultimately won 4-1 the game did not finish until 8.38pm, four hours and 38 minutes after it started. 'I think for me personally it's not football,' Marseca said when asked how difficult it was to play after the stoppage. 'It's already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended. I think it's a joke to be honest, it's not football. It's not for us. You cannot be inside. I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game. But if you suspend seven, eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition. 'The problem is that when the game is suspended, it's not football. Guys, it's not football. You suspend the game, it's not football. It's completely something different. So I'm happy, very happy. But at the same time, there are things that you struggle to understand for two hours before the game and then go again. And you see it. They scored because they need to chase. We are inside, we are winning. You go outside, mentally different. It's difficult.' Ask whether he was talking specifically about the stadium in Charlotte, Maresca said: 'No, no, no. I'm saying that. I ask you, if in this competition, they already suspended six, seven, eight games, probably there is something that is not working well. Because in a football game, it's not normal to suspend a game. This is what I said.' And when asked if the delays were damaging the competition, Maresca said: 'Guys, please, don't misunderstand me. I said it's a fantastic competition. It's a Club World Cup. It's top. We are happy to be in the last eight. We are happy to win all these kind of things. But something happens, six, seven games suspended, probably the one that they decide, they need a reason, because it's not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero, probably. In Europe, how many games? Zero.' Chelsea posted pictures during the weather break of their players using exercise bikes and playing football in the dressing room to stay ready but Maresca suggested it was not possible to keep the usual focus. 'It's not the same game because you break the tempo,' he said. 'So two hours inside; people speak with the family outside, if they were good, the security. People eating, people laughing, people talking on the mobile. It's two hours. That's why I said it's not football.' The victory means Chelsea will play Palmeiras at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 4. Win that and they will play a semi-final, and possibly a final, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is one of the other venues to have suffered a weather delay at the Club World Cup. Five Club World Cup group games had already been delayed by the weather before Chelsea's match against Benfica became the first knockout match to be suspended. Ulsan and Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Florida, was delayed by more than an hour on June 17. The following day in Cincinnati, Ohio, roughly 900 miles away, Red Bull Salzburg's match against Pachuca was also delayed for 97 minutes because of severe thunderstorms. Then on June 19 at MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which is the final venue for this tournament and the 2026 World Cup, the match between Palmeiras and Al Ahly was also suspended briefly as flash storms rolled through the region amid scorching heat that left fans scrambling for shade and water. In nearby Central Park in Manhattan, less than 14 miles away, a 15-year-old survived after being struck by lightning. Advertisement The longest weather delay came when Benfica's 6-0 win over Auckland City was held up by a two-hour weather delay due to thunderstorms in Orlando, again. Auckland were forced off again in their final group game against Boca Juniors at Geodis Park in Nashville, returning from a 40 minute delay in which time the Argentinian club had been eliminated by the result in the other group game, to draw 1-1 . Yes. 'What you're seeing right now is very typical. This is not unusual at all,' Ben Schott, operations chief with the National Weather Service, told The Athletic in the opening week. 'Next year, we may be going through the same thing.' Scott has been working closely with FIFA and organizers over the past eight months to prepare for next year, and is also overseeing his agency's planning for the 2028 Olympics in L.A.. The longest weather delay so far came when Benfica's 6-0 win over Auckland City was marred by a delay of more than two hours due to thunderstorms in Orlando. 'This time of year, especially east of the Rockies, we see thunderstorm development quite frequently. Especially in the northern half of the U.S., (from) Cincinnati all the way east to New York,' Schott said. 'It's not unusual this time of year to have cold fronts coming through, producing thunderstorms that are going to come through with each cold front. That can come through every three to five, seven days.' It should be noted that of the six delays so far, only the one at MetLife took place in a city that will stage World Cup games, as Orlando, Cincinnati, Nashville and Charlotte all missed out on hosting rights. The map below shows where the World Cup matches will be held. In addition to the final of this year's tournament, MetLife Stadium will host both semi-finals and a quarter-final — the winners of Real Madrid v Juventus and Borussia Dortmund v Monterrey. Orlando has twice had games delayed and the Camping World Stadium will play host to Manchester City v Al Hilal on Monday June 30 and the winner of that game versus the winner of Inter v Fluminense in a quarter-final on July 4. Advertisement The Inter v Fluminense game is being staged at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Monday, where Chelsea were so delayed. Flamengo v Bayern Munich and Real Madrid v Juventus are being played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which was criticised for its hosting of the Copa America final last summer but has staged games without serious incident at this tournament. The other two round of 16 games will be played at Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium, which is the only one of the 12 tournament venues to have a full roof. [bracket-widget id='159″]
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mindframe Defeats All-Star Cast In Stephen Foster
Mindframe Defeats All-Star Cast In Stephen Foster originally appeared on Paulick Report. Mindframe's future as a stallion at the Hancock family's Claiborne Farm had already been determined, but the 4-year-old Constitution colt further enhanced his resume on Saturday with a second consecutive Grade 1 victory over a top-class field in the $1-million Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Advertisement In what jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. called the "most professional race in his whole career," Mindframe tracked pacesetter First Mission from the start, moved to the front in mid-stretch, then held off late-running Sierra Leone – last year's G1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner – by one length. First Mission, coming off a win in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap, held third, 1 1/4 lengths farther back and a neck ahead of 2024 G1 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan in fourth. Hit Show, winner of this year's G1 Dubai World Cup, finished fifth, with Ashcroft, the final Grade 1 entry for trainer D. Wayne Lukas, finishing last. Skippylongstocking was scratched. Favored at 9-5, Mindframe paid $5.76 to win after covering nine furlongs on a fast main track in 1:47.48. First Mission set all the fractions, going the first quarter in :23.94, a half-mile in :47.94, six furlongs in 1:11.46, and a mile in 1:34.93. "We're just incredibly proud of him for how he was able to stretch out his natural speed today," said Mindframe's trainer, Todd Pletcher. "Sierra Leone came with a huge run around the turn and he had to hold off some top-class horses and was able to do so." The Stephen Foster, first run in 1982, is a "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge Series racing, providing the winner with an automatic fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic, to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 1. Advertisement Pletcher was winning the Stephen Foster for the second time, after taking the 2024 running with Kingsbarns. He races for the partnership of Vincent and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stables and Mike Repole's Repole Stable. Bred in Maryland by R. Larry Johnson, Mindframe was purchased from the Betz Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $800,000. He was produced from the Street Sense mare Walk of Stars. Mindframe didn't race until March 30 of his 3-year-old campaign, but it was a memorable debut, winning a seven-furlong Gulfstream Park maiden race by 13 3/4 lengths and earning a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. He was similarly impressive next out, taking a Churchill Downs allowance/optional claiming event by 7 1/4 lengths on the undercard of the Kentucky Derby won by Mystik Dan. Mindframe's Beyer Speed Figure that day was 97 compared to 100 for Mystik Dan. Five weeks later, Mindframe made his stakes debut in the G1 Belmont Stakes, run at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga while Belmont Park was being rebuilt. Sent away at 5-1, Mindframe challenged Dornoch in the stretch, poking his head in front briefly, but then drifted out late to lose to Dornoch by a half-length. Six weeks later he tackled Dornoch again in the G1 Haskell, but the result was the same. Mindframe was given the rest of the year off because of bone bruising, but was victorious on his return in the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile March 1. Next out in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day, Mindframe earned his first G1 triumph, winning by a neck over dead-heat runners-up Banishing and Nysos. Advertisement "To do what he's done in his career, never finished worse than second, just missed winning a classic in his third lifetime start, won a Grade 1 at seven furlongs and now nine furlongs," said Jacob West, bloodstock manager for Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., where Mindframe will enter stud at the end of his racing career. What's the year-end goal for Mindframe? "He's so versatile, he can do whatever he wants, whether it be the (Dirt) Mile, the Sprint, or the Classic," West added. "He's one of those horses. Todd said it a little bit ago – he's a generational horse because of what he's been able to do." The pace scenario for the Stephen Foster changed when Saffie Joseph Jr. opted to scratch Skippylongstocking, who was expected to be the speed in the race. Luis Saez seized the advantage by sending First Mission from the inside post position, but Mindframe never allowed him to get more than a one-length advantage. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, was last early as is his custom, but approaching the far turn Flavien Prat put the Gun Runner colt into contention with a three-wide move. Mindframe slipped away to a two-length lead with a furlong to run and while Sierra Leone cut that margin to a length at the wire, he wasn't a threat to the winner. 'He broke really sharp last time sprinting but we figured today might be a different scenario," Ortiz said of Mindframe. "He was able to track just off the pace and had a perfect trip. He had to come running. This was a really good field today and I'm really proud the way that he finished to hold off some of the best horses in the country right now.' Advertisement Prat said of Sierra Leone: "He came with a big run for me today but was just kind of grinding down the lane and just couldn't catch the winner. He tried hard but just didn't quite have enough punch today." This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hendrick Motorsports penalized for violation with Chase Elliott's NASCAR Xfinity car
Following a triple-header weekend at Pocono Raceway, NASCAR chose to take the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Christopher with them back to the R&D Center for further inspection. Both cars were fine, but that was not the case for the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet that took part in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Chase Elliott was driving the car at Pocono, earning pole position and leading 38 of 100 laps before finishing fourth. But apparently, something was not quite right with the car. Advertisement NASCAR has issued an L1 penalty to Hendrick Motorsports, which fields the No. 17 on a part-time basis in the Xfinity Series. They violated Sections 14.3.3.2.1.1 K&L of the NASCAR Rule Book, which focuses on the main frame rail conical receivers. The team reportedly modified these receivers in some way. Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet As a result, Hendrick Motorsports have been assessed the loss of 40 owner points and ten playoff points, but this doesn't impact them much as they aren't competing for the championship in that series. However, they were also fined $40,000 and crew chief Adam Wall has been suspended for the next three races. Advertisement Hendrick have entered the No. 17 in ten (of 16) races so far this year with Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Corey Day as the drivers. They have two wins, capturing the checkered flag with Larson at Bristol and Byron at Charlotte. Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the penalties. There were no other issues in this week's penalty report. The No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet (NASCAR Xfinity) of Christian Eckes also went to the R&D Center and like the previously mentioned Cup cars, there were no problems. Read Also: Winning NASCAR team owner Larry McClure passes away Predicting the winner of NASCAR's $1 million in-season bracket challenge Concerned teams argue in court over NASCAR subpoena for financial data To read more articles visit our website.
