Storm Earn Big Win 77-59 over the Sun

A career night by Seattle's guards led the Storm to victory.

(Seattle, WA) - The Seattle Storm (2-4) responded to Wednesday’s defeat by cruising to a 77-59 victory over the Connecticut Sun (1-6). The Storm used an 18-7 second quarter to take control of the game. Both Zia Cooke and Flau’jae Johnson had career performances in the win. This was Seattle’s first home win of the 2026 season and their second win over the Sun. This was the Sun’s final appearance in Seattle as the franchise will be relocated to Houston to become the Comets in 2027.

Zia Cooke scored a career-high 25 points on 7-14 FG shooting. She also made 9-10 FT from the line. Cooke’s offensive production continues her hot start as she’s scored in double figures in four of the Storm’s first six games. She’s averaging a career-high 12.3 PPG this season.

Flau’jae Johnson also had a career night. After having her worst performance of the season on Wednesday, where she scored just five points and didn’t play at all in the 4th quarter, Johnson responded with a career-best in points, rebounds, and assists. She finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. She also tied Joyner Holems with a team-high three blocked shots.

I spoke with both Cooke and Johnson after the game and asked them to talk about the other’s performance.

Cooke told me, “I think (Flau) brings a lot of energy for us. I’ve been watching her really dial in on knowing when to score, when to pass the ball. I just told somebody today in an interview that she’s our franchise player. So she got to step up every single night and kind of play like a vet. And it’s a lot of pressure, but I’m just super proud of her to see just her resilience and how she’s just been coming out every single night and doing what she needs to do. So super proud of her.”

Flau’jae Johnson chimed in with, “I feel like Zia was very aggressive. And she could score on anybody. I feel like if she could get downhill, that’s what she did. 10 free throws, that’s big. And I just feel like her coming off the bench, like just giving us that spark, like, she’s that girl. And she’s very confident, and I learned that from her, just to be confident, shots fall no matter what. She plays hard on defense. She really, she’s a pros pro. So that is a testament to the work she put in. You know what I’m saying? I’m just proud to be next to her. I played against her in college. She was like that. To see her translate that, it’s just beautiful.”

Natisha Hiedeman was the only other Storm player to score in double figures with 11 points and a team-high six assists. Jordan Horston also had her best performance of the year with eight points, four rebounds, and two steals. She was active on both ends of the court and started to look more comfortable out there.

Seattle outshot Connecticut 47% ( 28-69 FG) to 37% (23-62 FG). They were also better from beyond the arc, knocking down 38% (8-21 FG) compared to just 24% (4-17 FG) for the Sun. On Wednesday, the Storm were out-rebounded 38-26, but on Friday night, Seattle held a 38-33 rebounding advantage. The Storm’s bench outscored Connecticut’s reserves 32-20. The home team had a season-high 22 assists. They also outscored the Sun 38-32 inside the paint.

Connecticut Sun

Connecticut struggled to generate offense in this game, scoring just 38 points over the final three quarters. Seattle held them to a season-low 59 points. Diamond Miller led the way with 13 points on 3-6 FG shooting. She also made 7-8 FT. Aaliyah Edwards added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Aneesah Morrow led the bench with seven points and six rebounds in just under 18 minutes of action. After leading the team on Wednesday with 16 points, rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker was limited to five points on 2-9 FG shooting. She did have a team-high five assists.

Seattle dominated most of the stats in this game, but the Sun had a 9-6 edge in steals. They also outscored the Storm 16-12 with points off turnovers, and had a 12-7 advantage in fast break points.

Game Breakdown

Aaliyah Edwards scored in transition and nearly took out the cameraman to score the game’s first basket. Diamond Miller scored in the lane. Miller scored again as the Sun quickly went ahead 6-0. The Storm started 0-4 FG with two turnovers. Gianna Kneepkens got another score in transition, putting the Sun up by eight, and forcing Coach Sonia Raman to call a timeout.

Jordan Horston finally got the Storm on the board nearly four minutes into the game. Kennedy Burke scored a layup and was fouled, but missed the free throw. Flau’jae Johnson answered back with a three-pointer on the other end. Kneepkens made a strong drive to the rim. Mackenzie Holmes was fouled and made both free throws to cut Seattle’s deficit down to five at 12-7.

Aaliyah Edwards scored in the lane. Jade Melbourne scored through contact. Burke knocked down a three-pointer. Melbourne cut through the defense for another basket. Nell Angloma was fouled by Melbourne and sank both free throws. Natisha Hiedeman found Zia Cooke running down the court for two. Joyner Holmes then led Cooke ahead for another layup in transition. This time Cooke was fouled and completed the free throw for the AND1. The quick 5-0 run cut the Sun’s lead to three at 19-16, forcing Coach Rachid Meziane to call a timeout.

Raegan Beers checked in and immediately scored down low. Jordan Horston found Cooke open in the corner for the open three. At the end of the first period, the Connecticut Sun led 21-19. Seattle ended the first period on an 8-2 run.

Hailey Van Lith knocked down a midrange jumper to open the second quarter. Cooke was fouled and made both foul shots. Hiedeman found a cutting Jordan Horston for two to tie the game at 23-23. Miller was fouled right before the shot clock buzzer and made both free throws. Hiedeman got past the defense. Seattle took the lead on a chaotic play where Flau’jae nearly threw the ball away, Hiedeman threw it behind her head to keep it in bounds, Johnson somehow recovered the ball, and sank the jumper.

Joyner Holmes, who was just added to the team on Friday, made a positive impact off the bench. She scored on a turnaround jumper inside the paint to put Seattle ahead 29-27. Diamond Miller was fouled but split the two free throws. Cooke made an acrobatic shot in the lane and was fouled for the three-point lead. That gave the Storm their largest lead of the game by four (32-28). Jordan Horston added to it with a strong drive to the rim. Horston got a steal, which led to a transition three for Cooke.

At the midway point, the Seattle Storm led 37-28 after outscoring the Connecticut Sun 18-7 in the 2nd quarter. Seattle outshot Connecticut 40% (14-35 FG) to 37% (11-30 FG). The Storm’s bench outscored the Sun’s reserves 20-6. They also held a 9-2 advantage in points off turnovers through the first 20 minutes.

Flau’jae Johnson scored on back-to-back possessions to open up the third period. Seattle opened up a double-digit lead that continued to grow over the next few minutes. Hiedeman made two free throws. Johnson scored again inside the lane. Charlisse Leger-Walker knocked down a three-pointer. Aaliyah Edwards scored a couple of times to keep the game from getting completely out of hand. Stefanie Dolson added a quick five points with a three-ball and a nice give-and-go. That put the Storm ahead 50-35 and forced Connecticut’s coach to call another timeout.

Out of the timeout, Raegan Beers scored in the low post. Lexie Brown knocked down a triple. Saniya Rivers got to the rim for two. Aneesah Morrow scored on back-to-back possessions to add to Connecticut’s 6-0 run. That’s how the period ended with the Storm leading 53-43.

Hailey Van Lith drilled a three-pointer from an offensive rebound to begin the 4th quarter. That cut Connecticut’s deficit down to seven points. They never got closer than that. Zia Cooke added a point at the foul line. Flau’jae Johnson answered back with a three-pointer to put the Storm back up by double-digits. Natisha Hiedeman faked the defense from three and banked in a shot at the rim. Morrow knocked down a three, but Seattle’s offense continued to pour it on. The Storm used a 7-0 run with five points from Hiedeman and two more from Cooke to extend their lead to 17, at 66-49.

Cooke and Horston added four more points to extend the Storm’s lead to over 20. Diamond Miller ended Seattle’s run with two free throws. Miller got a steal in the open court that led to a transition score. Flau’jae Johnson answered back with another three. After an Edwards basket, Zia scored again on a turnaround inside the paint. Seattle outscored Connecticut 24-16 over the game’s final 10 minutes. The Storm secured a 77-59 victory.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (2-4) host the Washington Mystics (2-2) on Sunday, 5/24 at 3:00 PM PT.

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Photography Credits: Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography
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