Kennedy Burke made a three-point play with 2.8 seconds remaining as the Connecticut Sun earned their first victory of the WNBA season, defeating the host Seattle Storm 80-78 on Wednesday night.
Seattle’s Natisha Hiedeman missed a 3-pointer before the final buzzer.
Rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker, who started her collegiate career at Washington State before capping it with an NCAA championship at UCLA this spring, had 16 points and three assists to lead the Sun, who snapped a five-game skid.
Burke and Nell Angloma added 15 points apiece and Raegan Beers had 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds for Connecticut (1-5).
Hiedeman led Seattle (1-4) with 20 points and five assists. Mackenzie Holmes
added 18 points and six rebounds, Jade Melbourne scored 11 and Zia Cooke had 10.
Both teams were without their starting centers. Connecticut’s leading scorer Brittney Griner did not play with a right rib injury, and Seattle’s top scorer Dominique Malonga was still recovering from a concussion.
Melbourne’s driving layup with 59 seconds left put the Storm up 76-75, their first lead since late in the second quarter. Holmes added two free throws with 41 seconds remaining in regulation to extend the lead to three.
Aaliyah Edwards made a driving layup with 32 seconds left to pull the Sun within 78-77 before Burke’s winning play.
Trailing 63-59 after three quarters, the Storm pulled within one on a three-point play by Lexie Brown with 9:32 left.
A free throw and a 3-pointer by Burke gave the Sun a five-point edge.
Seattle tied it at 67-all on a pair of free throws by Melbourne with 5:50 to go.
Leger-Walker broke the tie on a jumper with 5:36 left, and Edwards followed with a jumper the next time down the court to make it 71-67.
A driving layup by Ashlon Jackson gave the Sun a six-point lead with 3:42 remaining.
Hiedeman made a deep 3-pointer with 3:17 left to pull Seattle within 73-70 and Melbourne added two free throws at the 2:02 mark to make it a one-point game.
Leger-Walker responded with a floating jumper before Hiedeman answered with a layup.
The Sun led 29-23 after the first quarter and 46-41 at the half.
–Field Level Media
