The Awa Fam era has started in Seattle.
The No. 3 overall pick in this spring’s WNBA draft made her debut Sunday, scoring 10 points in 20-plus minutes off the bench in the Storm’s 97-85 home victory against the Washington Mystics.
The teams will meet again Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena.
Fam, a 6-foot-4 center who won’t turn 20 until June 17, missed the first six games of the Storm’s season after leading Valencia to the Spanish league championship.
She entered Sunday midway through the first quarter.
“It was amazing. It was a dream come true,” said Fam, who shot 4 for 7 from the field and grabbed two rebounds. “It was a very good game, so I feel very good.”
Fam scored six points in the fourth quarter as the Storm led by as many as 25 points before a late Washington rally.
“Awa was great,” Storm coach Sonia Raman said. “She’s still learning, obviously. Just joined us (Sunday) 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.”
Natisha Hiedeman tied a career-high with 24 points for Seattle. Rookie Flau’Jae Johnson scored a career-best 17 and Stephanie Dolson had 16 as the Storm, who ranked second-to-last in the league in scoring, posted season-highs in points, three-pointers (13) and made free throws (32).
“We’re really sharing the ball,” said Hiedeman, who added five assists. “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.”
It was the second straight victory for the Storm (3-4), who are still awaiting the return of center Dominique Malonga (concussion) and the season debut of forward Ezi Magbegor (foot).
The Mystics (2-3), who will wrap up a four-game trip Wednesday, have dropped two in a row.
Sonia Citron scored a team-high 16 points Sunday, with Kiki Iriafen, Georgia Amoore and backup Angela Dugalic each tallying 13 and Shakira Austin adding 12.
Mystics center Lauren Betts, who was selected just after Fam in the draft after leading UCLA to the NCAA Tournament championship, scored six points and had three rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
“It’s just a different level,” Betts told The Washington Post last week. “These are all pros who have played for a really long time and have established themselves, so just trying to get better every day and focus on my process. Just constantly taking in new information.”
–Field Level Media
