The Seattle Storm keep getting closer and closer to snapping their franchise-record 11-game losing streak.
If not for an extraordinary effort from Paige Bueckers, they might have done it Monday, but the Dallas star scored 17 of her team-high 27 points in the final 1:12 of regulation and the five-minute overtime, as the visiting Wings prevailed 112-110.
Despite a career night from Dominique Malonga, who scored 37 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, the Storm (3-15) lost again.
“Coach just said, ‘If you play like that every game from now on, there’s going to be a different season for us,'” Malonga said. “And that’s just what we want to take away from this game.”
Natisha Hiedeman added 21 points and 11 assists and Awa Fam and Zia Cooke each scored 18, but it wasn’t quite enough. It was the fourth time in the past five games that Seattle lost by five points or fewer.
“Proud of how they competed, their fight, their resilience,” first-year Storm coach Sonia Raman said. “I thought we did a really good job of just getting right back to the next play, playing fast, playing together, sharing the ball.”
The Liberty (12-6), who are in second place in the Eastern Conference, are led by former Seattle star Breanna Stewart, who is in the top 10 in the league in both scoring (19.4 points per game) and rebounding (8.8). Stewart led the Storm to titles in 2018 and 2020 and was named the WNBA Finals MVP both times.
Visiting New York snapped a two-game skid Tuesday, defeating defending champion Las Vegas 87-76 as Stewart scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half and Sabrina Ionescu had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“We’re obviously not a finished product,” Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said. “But for now, I’m just super proud of the way we’re sharing the ball, punching the paint, getting open shots.”
–Field Level Media
