Seattle (11-20) played one of its best games of the season on Thursday at KeyArena to stay alive in the postseason hunt. My game story about the 88-68 win against Atlanta is mostly about rookie Shoni Schimmel’s return to the Northwest. Here’s highlights and some good stats that didn’t fit:

 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• The 29-point Storm lead (61-32) with 6:58 left in the third quarter] was the team’s largest of 2014.
• The Storm had its largest lead after one quarter (18, was 9) and at halftime (23, was 15) of 2014.
• Seattle’s 29 first-quarter points tied its most in any quarter, and 53 first-half points were the most in any half.
• Atlanta never led. The Storm opened the game with a 19-5 run.
• The Storm won back-to-back games for the second time this season.
• Atlanta suffered its third consecutive loss and its most lopsided loss of the season (was 14 points at CHI on 5/24).

 

KEY STAT OF THE GAME

TOUGH STORM DEFENSE: Atlanta’s 34.8 percent shooting was the lowest allowed by the Storm in 2014 (previously 36.9 percent vs. Washington on May 24). The Dream shot just 16-of-49 (32.7 percent) on 2-point attempts.

 

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

• Camille Little grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and scored 21 points to become the third Storm player with a double-double this season (Crystal Langhorne 3, Temeka Johnson 1). It’s Little’s fifth time with 20-plus points in 2014.

 

• Little’s pair of 3-pointers gave her 26 for the season, double her previous career high (13 in 2013).

 

• Temeka Johnson scored a season-high 16 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

 

• Crystal Langhorne (17 points) scored double figures for the seventh time in the last eight games.

 

• 88 points tied the Storm’s regulation season high (previously July 11 at San Antonio). The Storm had 89 points in an overtime win vs. Washington on June 22.

 

• The Storm improved to 4-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.

 

• Seattle’s 40 points in the paint tied a season high (previously 3x).

 

DREAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Playing in the Pacific Northwest for the first time as a pro, Shoni Schimmel (14 points) scored double figures for the 11th time this season and second consecutive game. Schimmel handed out a game-high six assists.

 

• Amanda Thompson had career highs in both points (seven, was six) and rebounds (six, was five)

 

• Angel McCoughtry scored a season-low two points in a season-low 21 minutes. McCoughtry had scored double digits in 26 of her 27 games in 2014, including the last 22.

 

NEXT GAME: The Storm hosts the Tulsa Shock on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 6:00 p.m.