By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Dominique Malonga scores career high 37 points, Storm lose 11th straight

When you are on a ten-game losing streak, trust in yourself, teammates, and the process is vital. In the pregame interview, Natisha  Heideman spoke about growing and trusting the process.

“ I mean, wins are important,  I mean, you gotta trust the process. 
We trust the processes in the organization as a team, our coaches, and the program, said Heidman. Like, you know, we’re not where we want to be now. But in the future, I can almost assure you  we are gonna be  the best.”

EPIC EFFORT

In their epic overtime loss to the Dallas Wings, the  Storm trusted the process and nearly snapped a ten-game losing streak. Seattle brought energy and belief in the first quarter and scored the first two points of the game. There were several ties in the quarter, but in the end, it was the Wings who led by seven points on a three-point buzzer beater to end the quarter by Aziah James. The issue for the Storm was not the offense but the defense. There was a lack of closure on the shooters, which saw the quarter end with the Storm trailing 19-26

IMPROVED SECOND QUARTER

Seattle improved its defense, cleaned up the boards, and switched on defense. Seattle also cleaned up its turnovers. In other words, it played smart basketball.  Flau’jae  Johnson scored nine points in the quarter, and it was her defense on Beckers, who was held scoreless in the quarter, that saw the Wings score 14 points in the quarter. Seattle used a 19-4 run in the last  4:56 of the quarter to end the quarter with a 62-60 lead.

BOTH TEAMS FIND SHOOTING TOUCH IN THE THIRD QUARTER

Both teams came out of the dressing room on fire.  The Wings’ Azzi Fudd made 4/5 shots for a team-high of eleven third-quarter points.  The  Wings made  11/18 shots. Dominique Malonga made 2/4 field goals, 1/2 three-pointers, and was 2-2 from the free throw line for the team’s highest third-quarter points. Also shooting lights out in the quarter was Awa Fama, who was 2/2 for the three-point line and 2/2 from the free-throw line for six points. The Storm made 8/18 field goal attempts and 4/7 three-point attempts.  The quarter finished with the Wings clinging to a 62-61 lead.

 DEAD EVEN FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER

Both teams continued to feed the respective hot hand in the fourth quarter.  Paige Bueckers scored eight jaw-dropping points to push the game into overtime. Malonga was just as impressive for the Storm; she scored 13 points and pulled down four rebounds.

“ We wanted to find Dom and get the ball in   T’s ( Natisha Heideman) hands  Zia Cooke said in her post-game interview.  

UNABLE TO CLOSE OUT THE GAME

The overtime period was an exhilarating  Malonga and  Bueckers affair.  Malonga scored seven points in the extra period and nearly willed the team to a win. Her driving layup with 25 seconds gave the Storm a 110-109 lead.  The Wings regained the lead on Azzi Fudd’s driving layup with 13.3 seconds left and the 111-110 lead.  Jessica Shepard snatched a loose ball inside the Wings’ paint. Aziah James was fouled and made one of two free throws to give the team a 112-110 lead. Heideman’s game-winning attempt with 1.6 seconds was off target, and the Wings secured a second consecutive win.

 “ We had energy, pace, and we played hard, “said Storm head coach  Sonia Raman. “ I told them that if  they play like this, they are going to win games.”

GAME NOTES

KEY STATS OF THE GAME

  • Seattle notched season highs in assists (29), field goal percentage (50.6%), field goal makes (39), field goal attempts (77) and points (110), eclipsing 100 points for the first time this season.
  • The Storm’s first overtime game of the season was played before a sellout crowd of 14,200 fans and featured 19 lead changes and 13 ties.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

  • With a career-high 37 points, Dominique Malonga became the youngest 30-point scorer in WNBA history (regular season or playoffs) and the first to do so under the age of 21. She also tallied her sixth career double-double, tying her career-best 12 rebounds. She made a career-high 14 made field goals while shooting 58.3% and became the youngest player in league history to reach 200 career field goals made.
  • Natisha Hiedeman scored 21 points on a career-best nine made field goals and now has five 20+ point games in a single season for the first time in her career. Her 11 assists is a career high as she became the first player in Storm history to record 16+ points and 4+ assists in six straight games.
  • Zia Cooke added 18 points off the bench, including 12 in the first half. She shot 50% from the field and was 100% from the free-throw line.
  • Awa Fam tied her career high with 18 points, shooting 6-for-8 (75.0%) from the field and 4-for-5 (80.0%) from beyond the arc. Her four made threes is a career high. Fam also added six rebounds, four assists and a career-high three blocks. 
  • Flau’jae Johnson finished with 11 points, five rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

WINGS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Paige Bueckers tallied 27 points and Azzi Fudd added 26.

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