SEATTLE -- The Storm handed the Aces their first loss since Aug. 2, rallying from a 14-point deficit in the second half Tuesday night to win Game 2 of their first-round series 86-83 and force a deciding Game 3 on Thursday in Las Vegas.
The Aces had their winning streak snapped at 17 games dating back to the last 16 of the regular season, one shy of the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks' single-season record of 18 consecutive wins.
"This team hasn't been beaten in a long time," Storm guard Skylar Diggins said. "We felt like we could because we've had success versus them before this year. It was about putting together first of all the start that we wanted and playing with the type of force, physicality. We won the rebounding battle -- that was a big deal for us. And we kind of kept their others in place who have been playing really well coming off the bench."
Diggins delivered one of the night's biggest shots. With the Storm up 1 in the final 30 seconds and Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon opting to play out the final possession on defense rather than fouling intentionally, Diggins used the threat of a screen from teammate Nneka Ogwumike to isolate defender Jackie Young. Diggins drove to her strong left hand and pulled up from just inside the free throw line to extend Seattle's lead to 3.
"Any time I'm in a two-woman game with this person right here, I feel really confident," Diggins said, sitting next to Ogwumike on the podium. "I thought they were going to foul, so I just let Nneka keep holding the ball. It was like a 3- or 4-second differential on the shot clock and game clock. They didn't foul and we got into our game. I saw an opening there and took my chance."
Although the Aces got a good look for former Storm guard Jewell Loyd at a tying 3 in the final seconds, it was off and Seattle became the first team to beat Las Vegas since Aug. 2, when the Aces lost by 53 points to the Minnesota Lynx.
That loss kick-started a historic streak for the Aces, who went from a .500 record after their last loss to 30-14 at season's end, good for the No. 2 seed. But now Vegas will face a winner-take-all Game 3 at home, the first time an Aces series has gone the distance under Hammon.
Hammon lamented that Las Vegas failed to capitalize on an opportunity to close out the series in a sweep.
"We missed nine free throws," she said. "[Committed] 15 turnovers. Don't execute. Have a turnover off the board [out of a timeout]. It's a shame. I feel like we let that one go. And our poor, soft defense down the stretch. Soft."
Despite a stronger start by the Storm than in Sunday's Game 1, when they trailed by double digits after one quarter and were never competitive after halftime in a 25-point loss, the Aces still took control of the game in the third quarter. They took their largest lead, 14, with 2:05 left in the period. Only the Phoenix Mercury -- against Seattle during the 2018 semifinals -- have rallied from a larger deficit (16) in the second half of a WNBA postseason elimination game in the past decade.
Seattle's defense on three-time MVP A'ja Wilson was a key factor in the comeback. Wilson, who became the first Las Vegas player to record at least 20 points (finishing with 21), 10 rebounds (she had 13) and 5 assists in a playoff game, was scoreless over the final seven minutes.
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.
Storm coach Noelle Quinn credited the 6-foot-6 Malonga with using her length and cutting down on Wilson's airspace.
"Not a lot of capability to congest a lot of times because there's shooters on the floor," Quinn said, "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."
Hammon said her team didn't do enough to put Wilson in a position to succeed.
"I just think we've got to do a better job of getting [Malonga] in movement instead of just those post isos," Hammon said. "She's long, she's athletic. We've got to move her a little bit more. I just thought [A'ja] missed some shots and also she got to the free throw line 11 times. We could have been more efficient with her for sure."
Malonga -- who recorded her second consecutive double-double, becoming the first teenager to do so in the playoffs in either NBA or WNBA history -- also delivered one of the night's biggest scores. Down two in the final minute, Malonga beat three Aces defenders downcourt for a three-point play to give Seattle the lead.
"I just saw Dom streaking so I threw it up to the basket," Diggins said. "Nice catch and tough finish by her. I'm really impressed by the free throw. That's a big moment by a 19-year-old to have to go in there. We've been asking a lot from her all year. We always make fun of she's the youngest player to do whatever in a game, but it's really historic what she's been doing in this league, her poise. That was a big play for us."
Starting Aug. 1, the Storm suffered six losses by four points or fewer during nearly the same span as Las Vegas' winning streak, a big reason Seattle dropped to the seventh seed and a first-round matchup against the Aces. The Storm said those losses provided experience that paid off for them Tuesday.
"I think a lot of times you go through moments and you don't realize what they're for," Ogwumike said. "I think a lot of August was for today. We are not unfamiliar with tight games. We are not unfamiliar with playing from behind, especially in the second.
"I think that today was probably one of our best showings of composure. We weren't too high; we weren't too low. We were responsive; we weren't reactive. We took every possession as seriously as we could. For us to be able to use that experience that we got since the All-Star break in the postseason, that's exactly what it's for."
ESPN Research contributed to this report.