Perfect games are starting to become routine for Seattle Storm forward Crystal
Langhorne.
One year after setting the franchise record for field goals in a game without a
miss, Langhorne topped herself with another historic night on Saturday against
the Dream. The veteran finished with 20 points on 9-for-9 shooting to help
Seattle earn a much-needed victory over Atlanta at KeyArena.
The previous Storm record was Langhorne’s 8-for-8 performance in May of 2016
against Connecticut. Strangely, she nailed her only three-point attempt of the
entire 2016 season that game, and the exact same scenario unfolded Saturday
night in Seattle. Langhorne hadn’t taken a shot from beyond the arc yet this
year, but with the shot clock winding down in the second quarter, she was forced
to heave.
Nothing but net.
Crystal Langhorne's 9-9 shooting is the most FG's without a miss in a game in @SeattleStorm franchise history! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/dbUEgBCYQJ
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 16, 2017
While Langhorne’s 9-for-9 outing may seem like an aberration, it’s truly just
the latest act by one of the most efficient players the WNBA has ever seen.
After shooting a career-high 63 percent from the field last year, Langhorne is
now up to a league-best 67.3 percent this season, slightly ahead of MVP
candidate Sylvia Fowles (66.3 percent).
If she maintains her current pace, it would be the best shooting percentage in
league history. Tamika Raymond holds the current record – 66.8 percent in 2003 –
which reigning MVP Nneka Ogwumike came close to breaking last year.
Langhorne boasts a career average of 57 percent from the field, second to only
Fowles (59 percent) among the league’s all-time best. The former All-Star has
ranked top five in the WNBA every year since joining the Storm in 2014.
Averaging 12.8 points and six rebounds this year, Langhorne is the unsung hero
on a Seattle squad full of household names. She led the Storm in scoring for two
straight years before the arrival of Breanna Stewart. Now taking a back seat,
Langhorne has Seattle (9-10) eyeing a playoff berth for the second straight
year.
In their quest for the postseason, the ultra-efficient Langhorne is as important
a piece as any.
