Seattle Storm fizzle late, fall to previously winless Connecticut Sun
They had this one. The Storm were up three points in the final 40 seconds and had a one-point lead with the ball with less than 10 seconds left.
But after Natisha Hiedeman missed a short jumper, Seattle inexplicably lost track of Connecticut Sun forward Kennedy Burke who raced past several defenders for a contested layup with 2.8 seconds left.
"We just had to transition back better," coach Sonia Raman said. "We will be better on that one next time, but they got us on that one."
Still, the Storm trailed by two points and had time for one last shot.
Jade Melbourne threw an inbounds pass to Hiedeman who curled off a screen from Stefanie Dolson and had a good look at a potential game-winning three-pointer.
However, her 22-foot jump shot rattled out of the rim as time expired on a heartbreaking 80-78 loss on Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena.
"Steph set a really good screen and everybody ran the play really well," said Hiedeman, who led all scorers and tallied a season-high 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting, including three three-pointers. "I caught the ball. I was wide open. It felt good when I shot it. It kept getting closer to the rim, I'm like ‘Ok, it looks like it's going in and it just bounced out.'
"It happens. I really wanted that win. There was a lot of other areas we just need to clean up though. I'm ready to play again on Friday already."
Seattle won the first meeting 89-82 last week and the teams meet again Friday for the regular-season series finale.
It's not panic time, but two weeks into the season the Storm (1-4) are riding a three-game losing streak and needing a win to avoid falling to the bottom of the standings.
"I wouldn't say it's pressure," Hiedeman said. "We're competitors and we want to win. Definitely really wanted that one. I don't like seeing 1-4. I don't think any of us do, but just trusting the process. Going out there playing hard every game and trying to get a win."
Without Ezi Magbegor (foot), Dominique Malonga (concussion protocol), Katie Lou Samuelson (knee) and Awa Fam, who is not with the team, the Storm received a career-high 18-point performance from backup forward Mackenzie Holmes.
"I'm nothing without my guards," said Holmes who tied her personal best with six rebounds. "They were really looking for me. So, I just tried to make the most out of every opportunity that I got tonight. Obviously, we're down a couple post players. We have some injuries, so I'm just trying to make the most of every opportunity that I get.
"Credit to my guards for looking for me, for finding me, and trusting me with the ball in my hands."
Melbourne finished with 11 points and Zia Cooke had 10 points off the bench for the Storm, who received a combined eight points from a trio of starters (Flau'jae Johnson, Jordan Horston and Dolson).
Seattle fell behind 29-23 in the first quarter and held Connecticut to 17 points in each of the next three periods.
Despite the good defense, the Storm had difficulty pulling away while shooting 39.7% from the field and 26.1% on three-pointers (6 of 23).
Seattle trailed 46-41 at the break.
Melbourne hit a free throw that tied it at 67 apiece midway in the fourth quarter when the Sun used a 6-0 run to take a 73-67 lead.
After Hiedeman drained a three-pointer, Melbourne knocked down two free throws to pull within 73-72 in the final two minutes.
Both teams traded baskets before Hiedeman found Melbourne cutting along the baseline for a layup that gave the Storm their first lead in the second half at 76-75 with 59 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Holmes collected a rebound, drew a foul and drained two free throws for a 78-75 lead with 40.3 seconds remaining.
Connecticut ran off five straight points, including Burke's go-ahead layup and free throw with 2.8 seconds left.
Former Washington State standout Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 16 points while Burke and Nell Angloma each had 15 points for the Sun (1-5), who notched their first win. Connecticut received just 18 points from its starters, including 12 from Aaliyah Edwards.
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