Natisha Hiedeman, Flau'jae Johnson lead Seattle Storm past Washington Mystics
Natisha Hiedeman wore a stone-faced expression while backpedaling down the floor and waving to the crowd before walking off the court at halftime.
It was immediately unclear whether the pink-haired point guard was signaling hello or goodbye after draining a long jumper over the Washington Mystics' Georgia Amoore with 1.8 seconds left before the break to cap the Storm's highest-scoring half this season.
"I just shook her, so I was saying goodbye?" Hiedeman said sheepishly. "It wasn't nothing."
Actually, it was dazzling display that followed an equally impressive buzzer beater earlier in the game when Hiedeman sank a step-back three-pointer over Lucy Olsen with 1.6 seconds left in the first quarter.
With Hiedeman scoring a career-high-tying 24 points, the Storm overcame a slow start, took control in the second and third quarters and held on at the end for their second straight win - a 97-85 victory on Sunday afternoon.
"She did a really good job of finding her spots," coach Sonia Raman said when asked about Hiedeman. "I don't think the Mystics were really able to speed her up much. Just kind of got to her spots, read the defense, read her screener.
"The screeners did a really good job for her as well, being able to free her up a little bit. And then the rest was her. I love the aggressiveness. I've told her: ‘Keep your foot on the gas and go.'"
Two days after holding the Connecticut Sun to 59 points in a defensive battle, the Storm, who rank next to last in the WNBA in scoring while averaging 81.7 points per game, won an atypical shootout.
"We're still kind of finding who we are, right?" Raman said. "Our ability to put some points on the board was really good to see today. Still have to take care of the ball a little bit better, but saw a lot of good things on the offensive end."
There was no better sight for the crowd of 10,559 at Climate Pledge Arena than Hiedeman, who jitterbugged around defenders while connecting on seven of 12 shots, including four three-pointers and 6 for 6 on free throws.
Flau'jae Johnson added 17 points on 4-for-14 shooting and Zia Cooke chipped in 10 points off the bench in the first of two straight games against the Mystics. The rematch is Wednesday.
It was the second straight superlative performance from the Storm trio who combined for 51 points after tallying 53 in their previous outing Friday night.
Center Stefanie Dolson added 16 points and three rebounds on a day when the Storm notched season highs in points, three-pointers (13) and made free throws (32) while shooting 44.1% from the field.
"We had 20 assists," Hiedeman said. "We're really sharing the ball. As we're playing with each other and as we're learning, just becoming more of a flow and not having to think as much. As time progresses, we just keep on getting better each game."
The Storm also welcomed rookie center Awa Fam, who made her delayed WNBA debut with 4:16 left in the first quarter when she checked in for the first time for a scoreless six-minute stretch that ended early in the second period.
She returned with 4:47 left before halftime and scored her first basket on a pick-and-roll with Johnson, who delivered a bounce pass between defenders that allowed Fam to convert for a contested layup with 1:29 remaining before the break.
"I feel good," said Fam, who finished with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting in 20½ minutes off the bench. "It was amazing. It was a dream come true. It was a very good game, so I feel very good."
Fam had her best moments in the fourth quarter when she tallied six points.
"Awa was great," Raman said. "She's still learning, obviously. Just joined us (Saturday) on the court. Saw a lot of really good stuff out there. You can see what's there, right? Just the way she moves, her ability in pick-and-rolls, her court sense in terms of finding her teammates.
"We're just going to see her grow in those areas as she gets more comfortable. Right now, she's still learning where she's supposed to be on both ends, but really good debut for her."
The Storm, who trailed 18-11 at the start, outscored the Mystics 23-13 in the second quarter and led 49-37 at halftime. Seattle outscored Washington 27-17 in the third period to go up 76-50.
Led by Sonia Citron (16 points), Georgia Amoore (13 points and six assists), Kiki Iriafen (13 points and four rebounds) and Shakira Austin (12 points), the Mystics (2-3) scored 31 points in the fourth quarter.
However, the Storm (3-4) never surrendered their double-digit lead and Dolson punctuated the win with a three-pointer in the final minute.
In addition to Fam, forward Katie Lou Samuelson, who sat out last season and missed six games this year due to a right ACL injury, made her season debut and finished with three points, two rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes off the bench.
"We're one step closer with Awa and Lou. Just waiting on a couple of more," Hiedeman said, referring to Dominique Malonga (concussion) and Ezi Magbegor (foot) who sat out due to injuries. "That's the scary thing. We're still not even at full strength. It's definitely going to be scary hours once we get there."
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