SEATTLE — Within seconds, Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart drained three-pointers from the same spot early in the fourth quarter for a 16-point Storm lead that sent the Climate Pledge Arena crowd into a frenzy.
The 12,490 could sense what came next: a 97-84 victory.
The win gave the No. 4 seed Storm a 2-0 sweep in their first-round playoff series against the No. 5 seed Washington Mystics and a trip to the semifinals for the fifth time in franchise history.
Game 1 in the semis is Sunday against No. 1 seed Las Vegas.
To advance, the Storm needed a collective effort against the Mystics, which pushed them for nearly 35 minutes.
Stewart finished with a game-high tying 19 points, nine assists and eight rebounds and nearly notched the third triple double in WNBA history. Loyd also tallied 19 points and connected on 5 of 10 three-point attempts.
Sue Bird finished with 15 points, 10 assists and five rebound while Tina Charles had 12 points and Gabby Williams added 14 points before suffering a concussion and leaving in the third quarter.
The Storm, who are 13-2 in last 15 playoff games, took control of the game in the third quarter while building a 71-61 lead.
Washington trimmed its deficit to 85-76 with 4:44 left, but the Storm never let the Mystics back into the game.
Bird sealed the deal with a steal and layup to go up 92-79 with 2:02 remaining.
It was Bird’s best game of the season. The 41-year-old guard came blazing while shooting 3-for-3 on three-pointers for nine points to lead Seattle to a 27-17 lead after the first quarter. It was nearly a perfect start for the Storm, who shot 75% (9 of 12) while holding the Mystics to 33.3% (5 of 15).
Washington answered with a 15-4 run to start the second period and take a 32-31 lead.
The Storm led 45-43 in the first half.
