The appointment of Joel Lloyd A WNBA An All-Star Game record with 31 points and a WNBA record for any game with 10 sets and four in what was an MVP performance, her team, Team Stewart, defeated Team Wilson 143-127 Saturday night at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.
Loyd (10 of 21 from long range) was unified by Team Wilson on a late possession when just shy of the previous ASG record (30 scored by Maya Moore and Kelsey Plum). Bloom and three of her Ice teammates were on Wilson’s team Saturday night and didn’t want Lloyd to take the record.
Loyd fouled three times during her double team, but Brittney Griner, who started in the All-Star Game less than a year after returning from her wrongful arrest in Russia, grabbed the rebound and returned it to Loyd for a three-right. which broke the record.
Loyd added six assists and four rebounds to her baseline while 3-point champion Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points, eight assists and six boards for Stewart and Griner was good for 18 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks.
Captain Breanna Stewart helped her team with nine points, nine assists and six rebounds. Teammate Nica Ogomiek scored six points, 11 boards and five assists and teammate Nafesa Collier scored 20 points.
Bloom (6-of-10 three/four) achieved her 30-point MVP performance in the 2022 All-Star Game while teammate Ariki Ogunbwale had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Aja Wilson scored 20 points and lost five boards.
Griner managed to throw a sure block off Plum in the highlights of the evening, but Plum followed that up with three runs over 1:10. The last of these cut Wilson’s deficit to 136-117 with 2:39 remaining.
Collier scored eight points in the first 3:17 of the fourth, including a 4-pointer. Wilson’s team cut it to 16 twice a frame before and again on Wilson’s three at the 6:25 frame mark.
In the third, Sato Sabali hit a great 5-0 run that made it 91-76 Stewart, and later, Kahlia Cooper took a 7-2 lead that made it 110-90 Stewart. Then Cheyenne Parker closed out the third with Wilson’s three bringing it down to 17.
Loyd hit three threes in the first 3:47 of the second period, the last of which a fade into the right corner made it 86-72 for Stewart. Earlier in Season 3, Griner scored her third dunk of the night, fizzing Wilson in mid-range while being interviewed live by announcers Rebecca Lupo and Ryan Rocco.
With 5.1 seconds left in the first half, Ogwimaike grabbed a rebound over Ogunpwale and held the ball over Ogunpwale for seconds long, causing a terrifying foul from Ogunpwale, which was truly more of a hug.
Wilson’s team cut their deficit to 64-61 on Ogunbole’s three-game lead, but Lloyd responded with three straight runs. Shortly thereafter, Stewart made her first basket of the game, three in a row, to close the scoring in the first half and make it 73-63 in favor of her team.
Alisha Gray’s four contested touchdowns cut the Wilson deficit to 59–51, but Lloyd responded with three and stole the ensuing possession, resulting in Ogwumike throwing in transition.
Four consisting of Collier, Plame, and Ionescu hit three consecutive baskets that brought the score to 48-39 Stewart. Ionesco’s four was her second in the competition. She ranked third shortly thereafter going 54-41. Ryan Howard answered that with four more. In between the second and third forty, Ionescu added a beautiful pass to Collier on a layup.
Howard started with a four-run barrage in the second quarter to give Wilson a 33-29 lead, then Ionescu, who missed four times, scored a left wing three followed by a four to make Stewart 36-33. Collier’s steal on the ensuing possession led to a copper kick in transition that extended Stewart’s rally to 9-0 and made it 38-33. Ended up leading 11-0 after throwing the ball at Collier.
Down 27-18, Wilson’s team went on a 7-0 run to cut it to two. Bloom made a layup in transition, which was followed by an Alyssa Thomas layup and Parker’s three. Then, Ionescu saw a 4-point attempt swing on and off.
Griner was the star early on, opening the game with a 6-2 single that capped off with a dunk. She later made an error layup that made Stewart 19-14 and added another, more emphatic dunk to make it 23-16.
Right before this dunk, I attempted a 4-point shot but unfortunately missed. She made an effort to try and drop three or four, being 0 out of 4 on those shots combined.
Griner slapped the floor while guarding Chelsea Gray at the start — that’s how excited she was. C. Gray later does the same thing while guarding Griner.
Alia Boston, who made big news as a starter, scored the first points of the game. Loyd made the first 4-pointer of the game to make it 10-4 Stewart.
Howard was replacing the injured Elena Delle Donne (sprained ankle).