Jewell Loyd looks to follow up her highest-scoring output of the season when the Seattle Storm host the Dallas Wings on Saturday night in the first of a two-game set between the teams.
Loyd scored 34 points in Seattle’s 89-77 home victory over the Indiana Fever on Thursday. It was the second 30-point effort of the campaign for Loyd, who entered Friday tied for sixth in the WNBA in scoring at 19.3 points per game.
Loyd made six 3-pointers — five in the first half — while thriving against Indiana. Her other 30-point game this season — 32 on May 22 — also was against the Fever.
Loyd wasn’t in top form entering the game. She averaged just 12.5 points over the previous four games, including a dismal game against the Las Vegas Aces in which he missed all of her nine field-goal attempts and had just one point.
Lloyd led the WNBA in scoring last season at 24.7 points per game.
Seattle (11-6) is 2-0 at the start of a nine-game homestand. The Storm and Wings play again on Monday.
Dallas halted an 11-game losing streak on Thursday when it posted a 94-88 home victory over the Minnesota Lynx.
Arike Ogunbowale recorded 23 points, nine assists and five 3-pointers to lead the way. Veteran Odyssey Sims made her season debut and looked spry with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Sims, who turns 32 on July 13, was signed to a hardship contract due to forward Maddy Siegrist being lost to a broken finger.
The solid victory over Minnesota — which won the Commissioner’s Cup earlier in the week — marked Dallas’ first win since May 26 against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Seattle recorded a 92-84 road win over the Wings earlier this season. Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Storm with 21 points. Ogunbowale had 24 for Dallas.
