The last time Seattle won a game before they beat the Chicago Sky 97-88 was on July 6 against the Los Angeles Sparks. Since then, they lost 11 straight games, with teams like Minnesota, Indiana, Washington, and more completing their season sweep against them. That finally changed on August 10, when Dominique Malonga and her team built and held on to the lead throughout the game against the Sky. Speaking of USA Sports during half-time, Malonga revealed how they built that lead.

“The difference right here in the first 20 minutes. I think we just locked in from the first minute. We’ve been aggressive on defense and on offense, pushing the ball, transition, rebounding the ball. We’ve been getting a lot of extra possessions for our efforts, so I just think locking in from minute one, and then just keep that rhythm high,” Malonga told USA Sports.

At halftime, Dom Malonga had already scored 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks when a broadcaster asked how the Storm planned to hold on to the lead in the second half.

“I think just coming out in the third quarter with the same pace, the same energy we did from the beginning. Just keep being high on everything on defense, keep rebounding the ball. We know that we’re struggling offensively… So just focusing on that, the mistakes that we made in the previous game. We don’t want to make them today,” responded the second-year center.

In Seattle’s last game before taking on the Chicago Sky, they had struggled converting attempts into points against the Portland Fire. While Dominique Malonga went 6-for-6 on free throws, the rest of the team did not, and they especially struggled with three-pointers.

Malonga converted 1-of-4 while Flau’jae Johnson got 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. However, that wasn’t the case against the Sky. Malonga scored 3-of-4 three-pointers, and Natisha Hiedeman scored 12-of-12 from the free-throw line.

Just like Dominique Malonga said during the interview, for the second time in the season the Seattle Storm did not give up their lead when play resumed in the third quarter. They led 47-33 at halftime and extended that lead to 50-33 early in the third quarter.

“Man, it feels great. We’ve been coming close in games. We got the fight. We got the effort. We got the everything. It’s just like we’re just not pulling out those games. And for us to win today and get a W, I mean who doesn’t like winning?” forward Jordan Horston told the media after the win.

Malonga also spoke to the media, revealing that besides making the right changes, the fact that they were “fed up” with losing also acted as a motivator. Meanwhile, Horston also highlighted that despite becoming the first team to drop out of the playoff race this season, she and her team are actively trying to improve.

“Even though we’re out of the playoffs, we’re still getting better,” Horston added. That being said, Seattle’s center certainly did the heavy lifting during the game, with Natisha Hiedeman (18 points) and Zia Cooke (16 points) helping her along the way.

Dominique Malonga made history in Seattle’s seventh win of the 2026 season

Dom didn’t just help her team stop an 11-game slide; she created WNBA history in the process. With 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, the 20-year-old became the youngest player with three consecutive 20-point games and the youngest player to reach 300 career rebounds.

Storm’s head coach Sonia Raman had nothing but praise for the 2026 All-Star when she spoke to the media after their win.

“Dom continues to be a walking double-double. Just the improvement that we’ve seen from her this season is incredible. The leaps that she’s taken, she may be one of the most improved campaigns from last year to this year that I’ve seen, and especially at the age of 20. It’s really remarkable.”

“She just keeps finding solutions out there. She’s starting to understand how teams play and be able to adjust in the moment. She’s just going to keep taking those steps forward, but she’s arrived.”

However, the Chicago Sky didn’t go away easily. Sky’s DiJonai Carrington also put in a massive individual effort, making history of her own. Carrington scored 26 points in 27 minutes on the court, and with 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ steals, became only the second player after A’ja Wilson to replicate that stat line this season, and the first WNBA player to do it off the bench.

Carrington even helped the Chicago Sky chip away at the 50-33 lead in the third quarter and narrowed it down to 84-82 before the Storm shut down their momentum and won the game.

While Dominique Malonga and Co. won’t be making it to the playoffs, they do have a chance to avenge their loss against the Portland Fire on August 14.