Ezi Magbegor was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing loss for the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
The 6-foot-4 defense-minded forward scored a season-high and team-leading 19 points in the Storm’s 74-69 loss to the Washington Mystics, where they blew a 10-point lead in the final 10 minutes.
“She’s the only one that really got us going on Sunday,” Storm forward Gabby Williams said after Tuesday’s practice.
The last time Magbegor matched that output was over a year ago when she notched 19 points on June 19, 2024, in the Storm’s loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
Magbegor, an All-Defensive first team selection last year, averages a team-leading 2.0 blocks per game, which ranks third in the WNBA. She is second on the team in rebounds (6.3), behind forward Nneka Ogwumike’s 7.7.
The New Zealand-native has recently stepped up her offensive play to get her closer to her career average.
Magbegor put 14 on the scoreboard in Friday’s win against the Connecticut Sun and 13 in Wednesday’s loss to the same team. She also tallied 14 on July 6 to help the Storm to a 79-70 win against the defending champion New York Liberty.
That four-game stretch marks the first time this season that Magbegor has put up double digits in more than two consecutive games. She is averaging 8.4 points.
“Just [feeling] a lot more confident in my offensive ability,” Magbegor said. “Seasons are about ebbs and flows, and I think offensively, I didn’t start the season as well, and so [I was] just focusing on myself defensively, but I think just staying the course, getting to my spots and just remaining consistent throughout the last few games has been helpful to the team.”
Magbegor, 25, is in her sixth season with the Storm after they selected her with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft. She had a career-high 13.8 points per game in the 2023 regular season and 11.7 last year.
“She’s back to pushing the ball up the floor,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said about Magbegor after Sunday’s game.
“It’s her activity level; it’s her confidence and the pace at which she is playing that is getting her back to the things we know she can do well,” Quinn added.
More scoring from Magbegor can help Wednesday against the Golden State Valkyries, who the Storm have gone 0-2 against in the expansion team’s inaugural season.
“[Magbegor] is trending upward,” Ogwumike said. “We have to be able to match that energy that she’s bringing. We ask a lot of her on the defensive end, so for her to be able to go in night-in and night-out defending, more than likely the best player on the team, and then also being able to be productive for us on the offensive end. I want to be able to support her.”
Williams added: “I’m happy to see [Magbegor] get her confidence up offensively. It just allows her to breathe easier and get in her rhythm, and when Ezi is going, we’re all better.”
Wednesday’s noon game at Climate Pledge Arena will be the Storm’s final matchup before the All-Star break.
