By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Seattle Storm Dominates Connecticut Sun: Game Highlights

The Seattle Storm’s (2-4) rematch with the Connecticut Sun (1-5) three days after a heartbreaking loss was always about improvement.  First-year head coach Sonia Raman’s mission was to rebuild a winning culture with a core of young players.   With first-round draft pick Awa Fam watching from the sidelines after her pregame introductory press conference, the Storm took a step forward and dominated the Sun 77-59 for its second win of the season.  

“There are a few things that we really wanted to focus on and try to target, and spend time on that in a film session, and then on the court, and then being able to see that translate to the game today,  Roman said after the game. “ So, really proud of just the growth, you know, I think, more specifically, the paint defense was a big part of it. Just overall, they are gelling a little more, being a little more connected on defense, and putting in a little more effort.

ANOTHER SLOW START

One recurring theme for the Storm was another slow start. The Sun scored the first eight points of the game, which prompted Raman to call a timeout after the Storm scored after seven minutes. The timeout was effective as the Storm scored their first baskets of the game on a Jordon Horston put-back at the 6:23 mark. The improvement from the previous loss to the Sun was the Storm’s solid defense, which ignited the transition game. The Storm outscored the Sun 12-9 to finish the quarter, which ended with the Storm trailing 21-19.  Zia Cooke scored eight of her career-high 25 points to lead the Storm.

SUFFICATING DEFENSE

The Storm wrecked its defense in the second quarter and allowed just seven Sun points. The Sun made  2 of 14 field goal attempts. Diamond Miller led the Sun with three points.  On the flip side, the Storm scored 18 points. Cooke chipped in another eight points and finished the half with 16.  More impactful was her energy on both ends of the quarter, which made the difference.  Cooke made 2 of 4 field goals, was 3-3 from the free throw line, and made her only three-point attempt.  The half finished with the Storm leading 38-27

 STARTING THE SECOND HALF  ON  THE FRONT FOOT

Back-to-back baskets by Flau’jea Johnhon set the tone for the third quarter, and the Storm ballooned their lead to 16 points on a Stefani Dolson bucket with 4:49 left in the quarter. The Sun finished the quarter on a 6-0 run, trimmed the Sun’s lead to ten, and the quarter ended with the  Storm leading 53-43. In the quarter, the Storm blocked five shots in 10 minutes to set a season high mark.

IMAGES BY PHIL ONISHI

CLOSING OUT THE GAME

Similar to the third quarter, the Storm kept their foot to the metal and played downhill to start the fourth quarter. The Storm outscored the Sun 17-6 to take a 70-49 lead with 4:39 left and put the game out of reach and secure its first home win of the 2026 season. Cooke chipped in another 9 points for a career-high 25 points.

“ I mean, we talked in this room a couple of days ago about that first quarter, and so, you know, we talked about that, but being able to continue to keep your foot on the gas on both ends of the floor is really important. 
Closing games, of course, you know, closing halves, closing quarters, all of that. ” You know, those are all things that we talk about,’ Raman said after the game.

POST GAME NOTES

KEY STATS OF THE GAME 

  • The Storm’s 21-point lead on the Sun marks Seattle’s biggest lead in a game this season. 
  • The Storm connected on a season-high 22 assists, led by Natisha Hiedeman, who dished six of those for 14 additional points. 
  • Seattle held Connecticut to just 59 points, their lowest point total of the season thus far. 

STORM HIGHLIGHTS 

  • Zia Cooke led the Storm with a career-high 25 points. She notched 16 in the first half on 55.6% (5-for-9) shooting, including 50% (2-for-4) from the three-point line. She also went 9-for-10 for the first time in her career and added five rebounds and one steal. 
  • Flau’jae Johnson recorded new career highs for points (17), made field goals (7), rebounds (7), and assists (5). She shot 58.3% from the field, including 50.0% from three, and swatted three Connecticut shots.  
  • Natisha Hiedeman finished in double figures for the fourth straight game, tallying 11 points and a game-high six assists. 

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