The Seattle Storm looked dead in the water when they were down by 10 points with 6:04 remaining in Game 2 of their first-round clash against A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces at Climate Pledge Arena. 

At that point, the Aces, who had won 17 consecutive games, were poised to extend that winning streak and book a ticket to the semifinals round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.

But the Storm somehow found a way to alter what seemed like an inevitable sweep at the hands of the Aces. Once rookie Dominique Malonga entered the floor again with a little over six minutes left in regulation, Seattle’s fortunes turned. The Storm’s defense suddenly tightened and made life harder for the Aces.

According to ESPN Insights, the Aces were given a 97.5 percent chance of winning the game when the 19-year-old Malonga subbed in for Ezi Magbegor. But the Storm staged a successful comeback attempt, resulting in an 86-83 victory — and a tied series against Las Vegas.

With Malonga back on the floor, Wilson was essentially shut down the rest of the way. 

Via Kevin Pelton of ESPN:

“Wilson attempted just two shots in that span, when she primarily matched up with 19-year-old Storm rookie Dominique Malonga. Per GeniusIQ tracking, Wilson shot 1-of-3 on 29 half-court matchups when defended by Malonga, as compared to 5-of-7 against Seattle starter Ezi Magbegor.”

Malonga, who was the second pick overall at the 2025 WNBA Draft, did more than just stymie Wilson. She also came through in the clutch with an and-1 bucket, which tied the score at 83-83 with 31.0 seconds remaining. Malonga then drained the pressure-packed free-throw to put Seattle ahead for good. All told, Malonga had 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and two blocks in 23 minutes. 

“Not a lot of capability to congest a lot of times because there’s shooters on the floor,” Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn told reporters after the game. “So a lot of those possessions become Ezi, Nneka and Dom going 1-on-1 and utilizing their length and physicality. With a player as great as A’ja, you just want to make it as difficult as possible, and I thought our group did that.”

Skylar Diggins paced the Storm with 26 points with seven assists, while Nneka Ogwumike put up 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Game 3 of the series will be at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Friday.