Storm Defeat the Mystics 97-85 Part 2

Additional thoughts, discussion, and interviews from Seattle's win over D.C.

The Seattle Storm (3-4) defeated the Washington Mystics (2-3) by a final score of 97-85 on Sunday afternoon. Natisha Hiedeman, Flau’jae Johnson, and Stefanie Dolson combined for 57 points in the victory. It was Seattle’s 2nd win in a row during this four-game homestand. If you missed it, you can read the full game recap below.

In Part 2, I wrote about Seattle’s impressive defense and how they limited Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin. I talked about the Mystics' blueprint and how the Storm can follow in their footsteps. I debated whether Seattle’s development is ahead of schedule. I’ve included the post-game press conference interviews and the link to my exclusive pregame interviews that I did with Awa Fam and Katie Lou Samuelson.

Impressive Defense

Even though the Storm gave up 85 points to the Washington Mystics compared to just 59 points to the Connecticut Sun on Friday, I was actually more impressed with Seattle’s defense on Sunday afternoon. Shakira Austin scored nine points in the first three minutes of the game, forcing Coach Sonia Raman to call a timeout. Seattle made adjustments, and Austin only scored three more points in the entire game.

It wasn’t just Seattle’s interior defense that I was impressed by. The Storm held Sonia Citron in check for the majority of the game. Citron scored just two points and took only one shot in the first half of the game. She had just six points through the first three quarters. While Citron finished the game with a team-high 16 points, ten of those game in “garbage time” in the 4th quarter when the Mystics were trailing by 20+ points. She also benefited from the whistle-happy referees who called 54 personal fouls in the game.

I spoke with Coach Sonia Raman about the team’s defense against Austin and Citron after the game.

“Those are 2 really, really high-level players. Paying attention to them, you know, Natalie Achonwa was the scout tonight. (She) did a really great job with that in our prep. And there are moments where they got free, and Citron was able to get a little bit going down the stretch from the free throw line. So a little bit to clean up there, but again, it’s our team, right? And we have to do that as a unit. And I think, you know, that was the message on that very 1st time out when Shakira had 9 of their 1st 14 points was we need to be able to lock in a little bit more as a team on her.” Raman told me.

I also spoke with Natisha Hiedeman after the game about how they were able to keep Citron in check.

Hiedeman said, “I mean, she’s an elite scorer, 3-level scorer. Shoots the three crazy. She can get downhill, mid-range, everything. So, you know, we gotta put a lot of attention on her, and I think that was our strategy. We had a lot of good defenders on her. But Sonia, again, she finished with 16. She’s another one of those players that just doesn’t give up and is going to keep battling until the end. So, yeah, I’m glad we made it hard in the 1st quarter and the 2nd quarter, you know, that can kind of do something to you, but again, she finished with 16. So maybe we gotta do a little better.”

Something that stood out to me when they built this Storm roster was the length, size, and wingspan. Obviously, the bigs with 6’6” Dominique Malonga, 6’5” Stefanie Dolson, 6’4” Ezi Magbegor, and 6’4” Awa Fam. But then they also have 6’3” Katie Lou Samuelson, 6’3” Mackenzie Holmes, and 6’2” Jordan Horston. Even players like Jade Melbourne and Flau’jae Johnson, who are sub-6’, have good length/wingspan.

From what I can find, the Internet says Melbourne’s wingspan is 6’3”. That may be why Seattle was comfortable putting her on the 6’1” Sonia Citron for large portions of the game. But Melbourne wasn’t the only one to take her turn guarding the talented All-Star guard. Zia Cooke did an excellent job denying Citron the ball on the final possession of the first period, where the Mystics were trying to set up a play to get Citron the ball, and Cooke was almost face-guarding her to keep Sonia from getting an opportunity.

The other thing Seattle did exceptionally well, especially in the first half, was fronting the post. Mackenzie Holmes got a couple of deflection steals when they tried to get the ball to Lauren Betts by getting in front of her. They were able to deny easy entry passes to the interior. And while the Mystics doubled the Storm with points in the paint (36-18), Seattle held them well below their season average (47 PPG inside the paint).

Seattle did a great job with help defense, sending double-teams or shading to one side to limit the damage done inside. One of Washington’s biggest weaknesses is their three-point shooting, and the Storm forced them to shoot just 20% (4-20 FG) from beyond the arc.

Even though the Storm scored nearly 100 points and tallied a season-high in points with 97, I was more impressed with their defense in this game. The fact that they were able to keep several Mystics players in check was a credit to defensive coordinator Michael Joiner and Coach Natalie Achonwa, who had the scout.

I was concerned that Seattle would face the Mystics’ intimidating front court of Austin, Iriafen, and Betts without its two best post defenders in Malonga and Magbegor. To my surprise, the Storm did just fine without them.

The Mystics Blueprint

When I look at the Washington Mystics, I feel like there is a blueprint for the Storm to follow. To me, it feels like the Mystics are maybe a year ahead of Seattle in the rebuild process. It’s obviously helped that they’ve had three first-round picks in back-to-back seasons. In an era where more and more talent is entering the WNBA every single year, it’s not a bad thing to be building through the draft.

A year ago, the Mystics selected Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Georgia Amoore in the first round. They also added Lucy Olsen in the second round. In 2026, they added Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalić, and Cotie McMahon in the first round, plus Cassandre Prosper and Rori Harmon in Rounds 2 and 3.

Time will tell how all of these players ultimately turn out. But we already know they’ve hit home runs with Citron and Iriafen, as both players were named WNBA All-Stars in their rookie seasons. And they’ve continued to grow and get better in their second year. Amoore lost all of last year with a torn ACL, but she’s looked solid so far in her first year on the court. She’s averaging around 6 PPG and 4 APG. On Sunday, she had 13 points and a team-high six assists.

It’s still too early to tell about Betts, Dugalić, and McMahon. Dugalić should be a solid role player, and showed positive signs in this game with a career-high 13 points. McMahon missed the first two games of the season, but had a strong debut with 13 points against the Indiana Fever. She was limited to just two points against the Storm and was in foul trouble with four fouls in 16 minutes. Betts’ best game came against the Dallas Wings, where she scored 11 points on 5-7 FG in 15 minutes.

The problem for Lauren is that her time may be limited playing behind Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen. It’s the same reason why the team ended up trading Aaliyah Edwards after her promising rookie season in 2024. I understand why the Mystics drafted Betts 4th overall because she was arguably the best player available. But it feels like they may have been better off selecting someone like Kiki Rice or Flau’jae Johnson. Maybe that’s why Flau’jae stared down Mystics’ Coach Sydney Johnson after burying a three this game.

Once Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor are healthy and back in the lineup for Seattle, it’ll be interesting to see how Coach Sonia Raman balances their playing time and the lineups alongside rookie Awa Fam. Coach Noelle Quinn refused to play Ezi, Nneka, and Dom together on the court at the same time. Will Coach Raman do the same with Ezi, Dom, and Awa? If so, are the Storm at least able to balance the playing time better than the Mystics have done with Shakira, Kiki, Aaliyah, and now Shakira, Kiki, and Lauren?

Ahead of Schedule…?

With back-to-back dominating wins by the Storm, I’m starting to wonder if Seattle might actually be ahead of schedule. I’ve said multiple times that it’s in the Storm’s best interest if they don’t make the playoffs this year. Adding any lottery pick, especially a Top 5 pick, could do wonders to allow the Storm to build another championship contender. Even more so, if they had major lottery luck and ended up with a player like JuJu Watkins or Madison Booker.

And while I believe that, in the grand scheme of things, that would be the best thing for the franchise. It’s hard to deny the excitement that this young, scrappy team has displayed in the past two games. If the Storm make the playoffs this season, or even if they’re close (finish in the Top 10), it’ll be because either A) The young core played above expectations, or B) Coach Sonia Raman was an incredible coach, raising the level of all of her players.

I have to wonder if the shrewd moves by General Manager Talisa Rhea on draft night accelerated the team’s timeline by a year. I have been open about how much I was hoping to see the Storm draft Olivia Miles in the 2026 WNBA Draft because I knew she was an incredible floor general with an elite passing ability. The thought of pairing that with Dominique Malonga could eventually lead to a dynamic duo in Seattle similar to the one they had with Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson, or even Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Even across the league over the years, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson, etc. Those types of dynamic post/guard relationships have been key to finding major success in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston could be next on that list.

Even though there was initial disappointment about the Storm not having the chance to draft Miles, the fact that Rhea was able to land both Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson was a draft-day scenario far greater than I could have predicted.

It’s still far too early to make any declarative statements with full certainty, but it’s possible the team just added a star guard and forward in one draft. That’s after adding the French phenom, Dominique Malonga, whom Seattle drafted in 2025. That young core is extended further with Jordan Horston and Ezi Magbegor. And with their improved play, you can potentially add Jade Melbourne and Zia Cooke to this list.

Side note, it’s crazy that a good portion of the Storm’s young core all came from the LA Sparks. Seattle selected Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam with the Sparks’ picks. Los Angeles also drafted Zia Cooke 10th overall (one selection after Jordan Horston) in the 2023 WNBA Draft, but cut her during the 2024 season. Then Seattle picked her up.

When healthy, the front court of Malonga, Magbegor, and Fam could end up being one of the best in the league. If not this season, certainly in the not-too-distant future. Seattle has an elite wing defender in Jordan Horston. Once Flau’jae improves her efficiency, they could have an All-Star level Shooting guard. Is it crazy to think the Storm could be just one more piece away from turning into a contender?

We’ll learn a lot as this season plays out. The team is still below .500 currently, and two of their three victories have come against the 1-6 Connecticut Sun. The Storm’s May schedule was by far the easiest month for the team. Things might look a lot different once they’re having to face Las Vegas, Indiana, and Atlanta. But on Sunday, the Storm were the closest they’ve been to full strength this season, and they throttled the Washington Mystics. A Mystics team that beat the 4-2 Indiana Fever in OT just a few days ago. That same Mystics team that narrowly lost to the New York Liberty in OT. I thought that D.C.’s team was a year ahead of Seattle. But if the Storm win again on Wednesday, I’ll have to reconsider those thoughts.

On Friday, after the Storm blew out the Connecticut Sun, Zia Cooke talked about how the team wasn’t even at full strength and that when they get everyone back, it’ll be scary for the rest of the league. I asked Natisha Hiedeman about that after this game, and she echoed those sentiments.

“It feels good when everybody goes out there and does what we know they can do. One step closer with Awa and Lou. Just waiting on a couple more, but I think that’s a scary thing. We’re still not even at full strength. So, definitely gonna be scary hours once we get there.” Hiedeman stated.

Awa Fam and Katie Lou Pregame Interviews

If you missed it earlier, before Sunday’s game, I was able to speak with both Awa Fam and Katie Lou Samuelson for a couple of quick, exclusive interviews. This was sent out to subscribers before the game. You can listen to them if you didn’t get a chance to earlier at the link below.

Player Interviews

Natisha Hiedeman and Awa Fam:

Coach’s Quotes

Pre-Game:

Post-Game:

Notes:
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Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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