> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Instant Takeaways: Storm Fall Victim to Vengeful Mystics in Blowout Loss - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/storm-fall-victim-to-vengeful-mystics-in-blowout-loss/ - Published: 2026-05-28T06:28:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:14:38.000Z - Author: Connor Benintendi - Tags: Game Day, Analysis, Storm, Jade Melbourne, Flau'jae Johnson, Stefanie Dolson, Natisha Hiedeman, Mackenzie Holmes \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2500"\] ![ Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne (5) drives into the lane against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, May 24, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/20260524_vs-2bwashington_q1_fs-22-format-original.jpg) Seattle Storm guard Jade Melbourne (5) drives into the lane against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, May 24, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm \[/caption\] The Seattle Storm got bullied on the glass and struggled to convert from long range in a vengeful 78-64 loss to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday, May 27, at Climate Pledge Arena. Seattle (3-5) was never competitive against Washington (3-3) despite being just a [few days removed from a 12-point route](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/storm-trample-mystics-in-awa-fams-debut) of the same team on the same court. Only Jade Melbourne for the Storm cracked double figures, totaling 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Shakira Austin (18 points), Michaela Onyenwere (14 points) and Kiki Iriafen (13 points) led the Mystics to victory. Austin and Iriafen combined for 22 rebounds as well. Here’s what we learned from the Storm’s disappointing loss to the Mystics on Wednesday. ### **Mystics had a bone to pick** The Mystics came out of the gates hot following their loss to the Storm on Sunday. Washington took an early 12-2 lead and eventually built up a 14-point lead in the opening period. Seattle couldn’t generate much momentum, and it allowed the Mystics to make five 3-pointers in the first quarter after allowing just four makes from long range in the Sunday contest. Meanwhile, the Storm were inefficient from beyond the arc. Onyenwere (11 points) and Austin (10 points) scored almost all of the Mystics’ points in the first 10 minutes and accounted for four of their 3-pointers. The Storm’s offensive slump continued in the second quarter. They went nearly seven minutes without a single point and finished with just nine points in the period. Fouls for both teams piled up in the meantime, as it was a much more physical game than the previous matchup between these teams. Washington concluded the second quarter with a 19-point lead after shooting 49% from the field. Austin and Iriafen dominated the glass and the Mystics outrebounded the Storm 22-10 in the first half. On top of all that, the Storm committed eight turnovers. There was almost nowhere to go but up for the Storm, who looked overmatched by a team they had just handily dismantled a few days before. ### **Overpowered and outmatched** The Storm missing shots — many of them easy looks — and the Mystics’ dominance on the glass continued to feel like the major difference in the game. Seattle started the third quarter well, but allowed Washington to regain the momentum it had in the first half through offensive rebounds. The Mystics had an outrageous 13 offensive boards in the game. Sheer opportunity is how Washington paced the contest. Melbourne was the only reliable offensive option for the Storm, and she was efficient. That’s been the case multiple times throughout this season, as Melbourne stays aggressive to the rim when many Storm players fall into 3-point shooting. Seattle shot 5 of 23 from 3-point range in the game. Washington almost completely took away Seattle’s leading scorers from the first matchup: Natisha Hiedeman, Flau’jae Johnson and Stefanie Dolson. That trio combined for just 16 points on Wednesday. The Mystics’ lead peaked at 25 points, and it never felt like the Storm were going to generate enough momentum to get back in it. Seattle never led throughout the game. ### **Mackenzie Holmes’ emergence** More than two years since she was drafted in the third round and just over a year since making her Storm debut, Holmes is emerging as a legitimate contributor for the Storm. She scored a career-high 18 points in the Storm’s May 20 loss to the Connecticut Sun, and her minutes have been consistent for the most part this season with lesser elite frontcourt competition. Holmes totaled eight points, 10 rebounds, one assist and two steals against the Mystics. She did have four turnovers, which have to be cleaned up, but her MVP-caliber season in Australia this offseason wasn’t a fluke. Holmes could be a real difference-maker for the Storm in the future. ### **Balanced to a fault** The Storm had one player in double figures, four players with eight points, and three more with four to six points. Everyone who played scored, and they still ended up with only 64 points. Typically, bench scoring is a plus in addition to the starting lineup already contributing, and it’s what can boost a good team to a great team. This current Storm group, however, relies on contributions from everyone because they lack any true star players who can reliably score night in and night out. The closest thing Seattle has to a No. 1 scoring option is Dominique Malonga, and she’s now missed five straight games with a concussion. That’s made it so the Storm need everyone to be hot, instead of just a few players. This loss against the Mystics exemplified the opposite of that. ### **Volatile results** So far, six of the Storm’s eight games have been decided by double-digit margins. They are 2-4 in those games. This two-game series against the Mystics was the perfect example of the Storm’s inconsistency. They beat Washington by 12 on Sunday, then lost to them by 14 a few days later. The concerning portion of the starting stretch is that the Storm have had a rather light schedule, and their opponents are only going to get tougher. Of course, they still don’t have their full lineup active, but they’ll need more game-to-game consistency to be competitive this season. ### **Up next** Seattle will travel to face the Toronto Tempo at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Storm lost the first matchup of the season against Toronto, 86-73, on May 13.