Off Target! Loyd Scores in Three-Point Struggle, Misses Crucial Free Throws in Fourth

On July 6th, in a WNBA regular season game, the Storm lost to the Sky on their home court with a score of 84-88, ending their four-game winning streak. Despite all five starters for the Storm scoring in double digits, they lacked a player to step up in crunch time, especially their leading scorer, Loyd. She started the game shooting poorly, going 1-for-6 from the field, and her poor shooting contributed to the Storm’s inability to secure a fifth consecutive victory. Loyd played 36 minutes and 38 seconds as a starter, finishing with 5-of-14 shooting, 0-for-6 from three-point range, 3-for-4 from the free throw line, contributing 13 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, and 1 foul. Her plus-minus was -4. It’s worth mentioning that during the Storm’s four-game winning streak, Loyd was the team’s top scorer in each game. Against the Sun, she had a team-high 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists; versus the Fever, Loyd drained 6 threes en route to a 34-point, 5-rebound performance. In both matchups against the Wings, Loyd scored 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, as well as 26 points and 3 rebounds. In the Storm’s previous loss, Loyd also struggled, going 0-for-9 from the field. Clearly, Loyd’s form has a direct impact on the Storm’s performance. In the closing 2 minutes of this game, down by 9 points, the Storm managed to close the gap to just 2 points, but unfortunately, Loyd missed one of her crucial free throws in the final moments.