Skylar Diggins needed just three quarters on Monday to become the second player in Seattle Storm history to record a triple-double.
Diggins made a pair of free throws in the final minute of the third period to give her 11 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in just 22:51 of action. Per ESPN Research, that's the lowest minutes total ever in a WNBA triple-double.
Diggins watched the entire fourth quarter from the bench as Seattle won 101-85 at Connecticut after leading by as many as 32 points.
Temeka Johnson had been the only Storm player with a triple-double in a regular-season or playoff game, recording 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss to the New York Liberty in 2014.
Diggins also posted the first triple-double in WNBA All-Star Game history earlier this month.
Having previously reached double-figure rebounds just once in her 11-season WNBA career, Diggins attributed her focus on the glass to a conversation with Seattle coach Noelle Quinn during the All-Star break.
"Reiterating rebounding and just pursuing the basketball and how that helps us on the break, just that mentality," Diggins said. "I know I can rebound the basketball, but I was really trying to pursue it tonight. Then obviously, the targets that I get to pass to -- Nneka being one of them -- people were getting loose."
Racking up 10 assists was no problem for Diggins, who got there shortly after halftime. Seven of her 11 assists set up Nneka Ogwumike, who had a game-high 26 points.
"It's very rare for anyone to achieve those types of things, but when it happens, it makes sense when certain players do it and Sky's at the top of that list," said Ogwumike. "I would not want to experience a triple-double with anyone else."
Midway through the third quarter, Diggins secured her 10th rebound. Quinn, who was part of Johnson's triple-double as a teammate with the Storm during her playing career, was happy to see Diggins join Johnson by getting to double-digit scoring, something she had accomplished in all but two games this season.
"Just kind of the reward, you know, being coachable and understanding that rebounding isn't just to get a triple-double or stats, but to help us as a team," Quinn said. "We were plus-11, I think, on the boards today. We can't just rely on our post players.
"I think early on in the season, she always talks about how she lets them go get it, but now if you watch her play -- going back to the All-Star Game, when she had a triple-double as well -- she's going to pursue rebounds, and I think that's important as we start our transition break."
Already, Diggins had surpassed her season high with seven rebounds in Seattle's first game after the break, a 38-point win last Thursday over the Chicago Sky. But Diggins was disappointed with her performance on Saturday, when she had a season-low five points on 2-of-10 shooting in a loss to the Washington Mystics.
"It was great to happen tonight," Diggins said. "Coming off a loss, I wanted to bounce back. Regardless of what the numbers were, just trying to do my part. I did not like how I played in Washington." When Diggins hit the free throws that completed the triple-double, the Storm bench erupted.
"Sky's a special player, and we all know it," Quinn said. "She's gone through a lot, especially this regular season. For her to do that today, here, on the road in a game that we really needed, it was just a special moment that she was able to share with her teammates. And I love that everyone loved that for her."