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Furious late Storm rally stuns Aces, forces decider in opening series
BASKETBALL-WNBA-SEA-LV/RECAP
Dominique Malonga converted the go-ahead three-point play with 31 seconds left and the Seattle Storm closed the game with a 16-4 spurt to post an 86-83 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday night to even the first round series at one game apiece.
Skylar Diggins had 26 points and seven assists and Nneka Ogwumike added 24 points and 10 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Storm, who recovered from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to force a deciding Game 3 on Thursday night at Las Vegas.
Malonga had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Erica Wheeler scored all 11 of her points in the final quarter for Seattle. Diggins also had 11 fourth-quarter points.
Jackie Young scored 25 points and A'ja Wilson added 21 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for second-seeded Las Vegas. Jewell Loyd added 13 points but the former Storm star missed a tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds.
Diggins buried a 3-pointer with 4:03 remaining to start the game-ending run and bring Seattle within 79-73. Wheeler added a trey exactly one minute later to make it a three-point margin.
The Storm crept within two before Young converted a three-point play to give Las Vegas an 82-77 lead with 1:47 remaining.
A Wheeler jumper brought Seattle within three with 1:24 left. After Loyd split two free throws, Diggins sank a 19-foot pull-up jumper as the Storm pulled within 83-81 with 53.4 seconds to play.
Malonga then made the three-point play to put the Storm ahead for the first time since a 37-36 lead in the second quarter. Diggins followed with a jumper in the lane with 4.2 seconds left.
The loss was the first for the Aces since being pounded 111-58 by the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 2. Las Vegas finished the regular season with 16 consecutive wins and then routed Seattle, 102-77, in Game 1 of this series.
Young had 14 points in the third quarter, including 12 during a 16-5 burst that saw Las Vegas increase a one-point to 63-51 with 3:12 left.
Young nailed another floater with 1.1 seconds left as Las Vegas took a 69-61 lead into the final quarter.
Wilson scored four straight points early in the fourth to give the Aces a 75-63 advantage with 7:06 left.
Wilson had 16 first-half points as the Aces led 45-44 at the break. Diggins had 15 and Ogwumike added 13 in the half for Seattle.
The Storm scored nearly as many points in the first quarter than they did in the first half of their Game 1 loss.
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