Aces collapse in fourth quarter, lose Game 1 of WNBA Finals

Most of the Aces were playing in their first WNBA Finals game Friday, while the Seattle Storm had the core group that won the championship two years ago.

That disparity in experience showed in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the best-of-five series.

Breanna Stewart had 37 points and 15 rebounds and Sue Bird set a playoff record with 16 assists as the Storm pulled away for a 93-80 victory at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

The Storm led by 19 points early in the third , but the Aces rallied to tie the score late in the quarter. Jewell Loyd’s two free throws gave the Storm a 69-67 lead entering the fourth quarter, and Stewart scored the next 11 points to cap a 13-0 run and put the game away.

“We came out in the fourth quarter just flat,” Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We worked so hard to get back in that game in the third quarter. I know it took a lot of gas out of us. We took a breather. You can’t take a breather against this team or in the playoffs, in the finals especially.”

Stewart finished one point shy of the finals record of 38 points set in 2011 by Angel McCoughtry, then a member of the Atlanta Dream.

McCoughtry, who joined the Aces this season, hit 5 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. A’ja Wilson scored 19 but was 6-for-20 shooting, and Carolyn Swords had 12 rebounds.

Here are three takeaways:

1. Big night for Storm’s stars

The Storm’s production came from their usual suspects. Stewart became the first player in finals history to have at least 35 points and 15 rebounds, and she did it efficiently.

She shot 62.5 percent — 15 of 24, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers — and made both her free throws.

“I thought (Stewart) played very well,” Laimbeer said. “She made shots after the first quarter. She got open looks, and once her shots start going in, she’s a good front-runner. She’s going to make a bunch more.”

Loyd hit 11 of 17 shots and scored 28 for the Storm, who shot 50 percent.

2. Game of runs

The Aces expected a more free-flowing style than in the semifinals against Connecticut, and the quicker tempo meant extended runs for both teams.

“You saw spurts of how we need to play,” Wilson said. “We were right there. It was just a matter of doing it throughout the course of 40 minutes, and that’s key against a good Seattle team like that.”

The Aces scored the game’s first eight points, and the Storm took their first lead with a 10-0 run. Seattle took control with a 19-0 run in the second quarter for a 57-40 halftime lead.

It was all Aces in the third, and they tied the score at 67 with an 18-2 spurt before the Storm answered with their 13-0 run.

3. Missed shots, defensive lapses

The Aces tied a season high with 10 made 3-pointers and shot 47.6 percent from beyond the arc. But they thrived in the paint and midrange game all season and were 17 of 56 on 2-point shots (30.3 percent).

“Maybe there was a little bit of nerves, but we still scored,” said guard Kayla McBride, who had 13 points and four assists. “I don’t think it was about our missed shots. It was about our defense.”

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2936. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.