Jewell Loyd scored 22 points in the first quarter alone Friday night, tying a WNBA record for most points in a quarter. Diana Taurasi set the original record in 2006, with Brittney Sykes tying in 2019.
Loyd’s 22 points in six minutes propelled her to a career-high 37 points and the Storm to a 94-85 win over the Mercury.
.@jewellloyd WENT CRAZY TONIGHT 🤐The Gold Mamba started the game by tying the #WNBA record with points in one quarter and finished with a career-high 37 points 🐍👏#CountIt pic.twitter.com/TOlVMyHiNG— WNBA (@WNBA) September 18, 2021
.@jewellloyd WENT CRAZY TONIGHT 🤐The Gold Mamba started the game by tying the #WNBA record with points in one quarter and finished with a career-high 37 points 🐍👏#CountIt pic.twitter.com/TOlVMyHiNG
The Storm were in control of the game at halftime, hitting a franchise-tying record 61 points before the break. Loyd also notched 28 points by halftime, the most by a WNBA player this season.
Phoenix cut a 22-point deficit to six at the end of the fourth quarter, but a last-minute three-point play from Loyd held off a resilient Mercury team down the stretch.
With the win, Seattle earned a first-round bye in the WNBA playoffs.
Next up: Phoenix will take on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.