By Michael Hapanovich Posted on

Storm avoid fourth-quarter crumble as they hold on to defeat Tempo and avoid season sweep

After struggling without starting point guard Natisha Hiedeman across their past two games, the Seattle Storm got back in the win column with a 90-78 victory over the visiting Toronto Tempo on Wednesday. Although rookie phenom Flau’jae Johnson led the way offensively with 20 points, four other players tallied double-digit points.

Dominique Malonga added 18 and tied her career high in steals, with three. Melbourne chipped in with 16 points while reserves Awa Fam and Zia Cooke provided a boost off the bench, each contributing with 10 in the Storm’s (8-31) first win since August 10.

Kiki Rice anchored the Tempo’s (11-27) scoring with a career-high 24 points and five assists. Isabelle Harrison added 17 and Laura Juškaitė chipped in with 14.

Hiedeman (shoulder) was sidelined for a third consecutive game and now has just one opportunity left to return before the FIBA World Cup break.

No Hiedeman, no problem

It didn’t take long for Toronto to find their rhythm as Juškaitė grabbed the opening tipoff and hustled in for a layup just six seconds into the game to set the tempo early. Despite brutal back-to-back first quarter performances with Hiedeman sidelined, Seattle bounced back and following a made shot by Rice at 8:28, the home side scored seven consecutive points — all but two by Melbourne, to jump ahead 10-6.

The Storm were unable to break away and the momentum seemingly shifted after five straight points from Harrison, but Melbourne continued to make her presence known, following it up with two made free throws as Seattle capped off the quarter on a 9-3 run to take a 23-18 lead after the opening frame.

Second quarter slip-ups

A sloppy start to the second quarter appeared to be costly for the Storm as Harrison’s layup at 2:02 put Toronto on top and Rice’s made shot nearly three minutes later extended their lead to six, the largest of the night.

However, Seattle showed no signs of going away. After Ezi Magbegor and Malonga scored, Johnson knocked down a three-pointer to put the Storm on top 36-35, prompting a Tempo timeout.

But, Toronto retook the lead on Kia Nurse’s three-pointer with 3:05 remaining and Rice followed it up with a layup, capping off her quarter-high 12 points.

Trailing by four, Seattle’s frontcourt stepped up as Malonga scored before Fam knocked down a shot from beyond the arc as time expired to give the Storm a 43-42 lead heading into halftime.

Can’t pull away

The second half didn’t open up in the Storm’s favor as Temi Fagbenle, Maria Conde and Rice all scored to thrust the Tempo ahead and give them a 48-43 lead at 8:31 in the third quarter. 

Like clockwork, Seattle clawed back. After maintaining the same scoring pace throughout the next three minutes, Juškaitė turned the ball over, leading to a basket from Cooke and Seattle took over from there.

Three plays later, Harrison committed a sloppy foul on Fam, sending her to the line where she knocked down both shots to tie the game 57-57. Stefanie Dolson put the Storm ahead just 23 seconds later, forcing Toronto to call another timeout.

Following a shooting foul on Dolson after the break, Nurse responded with a made free throw in an attempt to shift the momentum back over to the Tempo, but Seattle was unfazed as Cooke scored before Fam knocked down her second three-pointer of the game to put the Storm up 64-57 with 47.7 seconds remaining in the quarter.

However, Harrison and Ornella Bankhole closed out the quarter with made shots to keep Toronto within three entering the final frame.


Closing it out on a bang

The Storm’s fourth quarter struggles appeared to be a figment of the past as Cooke and Malonga scored before Katie Lou Samuelsson’s three-pointer extended their lead to eight, forcing Toronto to take their fourth timeout.

Juškaitė’s layup at 4:34 cut the lead to nine, but Johnson and Malonga scored to put Seattle up 81-68 with 4:06 remaining in the game. 

Regardless, the Tempo weren’t shying away. 

They outscored the Storm 8-4 over the next three minutes and Malonga’s personal foul on Rice with 54.7 seconds left sent her to the line, where she knocked down both shots to cut the lead to seven.

Toronto’s hope didn’t last long as Teonni Key committed a personal foul on the ensuing possession which sent Melbourne to the line, where she knocked down one shot and Seattle held on from there. 

The Storm will look to collect their second straight victory when they host the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday in their final game until September 17.

STORM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Flau’jae Johnson led Seattle with 20 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field. This marks her second straight 20+ point game and her eighth this season as she became just the second Storm rookie to eclipse 500 points in a season (joining Breanna Stewart).
  • Dominique Malonga recorded 18 points on nine made field goals. She grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and tied her career high with three steals.
  • Jade Melbourne tallied 16 points on 5-for-10 (50.0%) shooting and a season-high six rebounds, securing her 200th career defensive rebound and making her 200th career free throw. She also dished out a game-high seven assists, which contributed an additional 16 points.
  • Zia Cooke scored 10 points off the bench, shooting 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. She recorded a season-high five assists, dishing out her 100th career dime. She also secured a season-high two steals and led the Storm in +/- at +18.
  • Awa Fam added 10 points, making two threes, and three rebounds. She was +11 while on the floor.

TEMPO HIGHLIGHTS

  • Kiki Rice led Toronto with 24 points, including going 100% (11-for-11) from the free throw line. Isabelle Harrison added 17 points and 14 rebounds.

UP NEXT: The Storm hosts the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on KOMO and CW Seattle and will be available to stream on Prime for users in Washington state.

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