When Dominique Malonga checked into the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s playoff game between the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces, the Aces had a 97.5% chance of winning, per ESPN Analytics. The Storm, facing elimination, were down by 10 and seemed unlikely to get over the hump against the Aces, who had won 17 consecutive games.
A WNBA star is being born in front of our eyes
19-year-old Dominique Malonga was crucial in Seattle’s first playoff win since 2022.
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Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
But, he 19-year-old immediately made an impact, swatting Jackie Young’s shot and securing the rebound in her first play of the period.
By the end of the night, she was the hero.
Malonga, drafted by the Storm second overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, had an up-and-down rookie season. In May and June, more than 20 rookies averaged more minutes per game than she did.
But, her impact and opportunities increased as the season went on, and on Tuesday night, Seattle needed the French phenom to deliver to keep their season alive. A few possessions after blocking Young’s drive, she blocked three-time MVP A’ja Wilson’s jumper.
Then, with 31 seconds to spare and the Storm trailing by 2, Malonga converted an and-one fastbreak layup. In turn, she became the youngest player in WNBA playoff history with a game-tying or go-ahead field goal in the final minute of the 4th quarter or overtime.
Malonga finished Tuesday’s game with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks — but the statline doesn’t really capture her impact on Tuesday’s win. In her 23 minutes, the Storm were a +11, the highest plus/minus of any player in the game.
Dominique Malonga helped contain A’ja Wilson in the win
In the second half, Malonga helped hold Wilson to just 5 points. Wilson was scoreless for the entire last 6-minute stretch of the ball game, with Malonga defending her.
Seattle’s win was the result of several big-time Storm performances, as well as some uncharacteristic late-game decision-making by the Aces.
Skylar Diggins finished with a game-high 26 points (10-20 FG) and 7 assists, including a clutch-floater with seconds to spare that gave Seattle a three-point lead. Nneka Ogwumike tallied 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Erica Wheeler was massive off the bench, scoring 11 points — all of which came in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter.
But Diggins, Ogwumike, and Wheeler are vets. They’ve been in big moments before. They’ve played in this league for a long time, matched up against the Aces All-Star on countless occasions.
Malonga is a teenager. On Tuesday, she also saved Seattle’s season.
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