(Seattle, WA) - The Storm’s worst losing season in franchise history came to a close on Wednesday night as the Dallas Wings defeated the Seattle Storm 103-91. In defeat the Storm lost their 36th game of the season, the most in WNBA history. While it’s not the worst win percentage in league history, that still belongs to the 2011 Tulsa Shock, who finished 3-31(.088%). With this latest loss, this became the worst Storm season in franchise history surpassing the inaugural year where they finished 6-26 (.188). With an 8-36 record, Seattle finished with a .182 win percentage. And yet, there is a lot of hope surround the franchise.
That hope and joy could be seen in the team’s post-game press conference, where Flau’jae Johnson, Awa Fam, and Dominique Malonga were all smiles. It was the first time all three had scored more than 20 points in the same game. A positive sign for the franchise’s future. Malonga led all scorers with 29 points on 11-18 FG. She also had a team-high eight rebounds. Fam finished with 22 points on 8-13 FG, including 4-7 FG from beyond the arc, and grabbed seven rebounds. Johnson rounded out the group with 21 points and six rebounds. Flau’jae set the Storm franchise record for most points scored in a rookie season (626), surpassing Breanna Stewart (621).
Johnson made sure to shout out Natisha Hiedeman, who dished out a career-high 14 assists. Hiedeman tied Sue Bird and Skylar Diggins for the most assists in a regular season game in franchise history. Hiedeman added 10 points, scoring all of those in the 4th quarter.
The home team lost the rebounding battle 33-30, but outscored the Wings 18-9 in second-chance points. They also held the advantage in fast break points (9-4).
Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers led the Wings with 25 points on 9-15 FG and seven assists. Arike Ogunbowale contributed 23 points on 8-15 FG and six assists. Jessica Shepard had a triple double with 20 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Dallas’ offense shined as they outshot Seattle 57% (39-69 FG) to 50% (34-68 FG). They were also better from beyond the arc, where they hit 50% (9-18 FG) of their three-point field goal attempts compared to 35% for Seattle. They dished out 32 assists and were a +9 in that category.
All five starters reached double figures, as Awak Kuier chipped in with 14 points on 5-8 FG, including 4-6 FG from beyond the arc. She also had a game-high three blocks. Maddy Siegrist added 11 points on 50% shooting to round out the group.
The Wings went from 10 wins in 2025 to 27 wins in 2026. I spoke with both Awa Fam and Coach Sonia Raman about that and if that’s the trajectory the Storm want to aim for next season. The video to their answers is posted below.
Game Breakdown
Dominique Malonga got on the board first making one of two free throws. Paige Bueckers slipped to the rim and finished at the rim for a layup. Malonga scored inside, but Dallas responded with a 6-0 run with baskets from Bueckers and Jessica Shepard. Natisha Hiedeman found Malonga inside for another score. The Wings answered back with a corner three from Arike Ogunbowale and a basket inside by Awak Kuier. With the Wings leading 13-5, Coach Sonia Raman called a timeout.
Malonga added three more with one free throw and another score at the rim. The Wings’ hot shooting continued with midrange jumpers from Bueckers and Shepard, and a three-pointer from Maddy Siegrist. As the Storm continued to miss shots, Arike Ogunbowale finished with a finger roll at the rim to put Dallas ahead 24-8.
Kuier sank a three-ball and Shepard had an And-1 opportunity but missed the extra free throw. Even still, the Wings pushed their lead to 19 near the end of the first quarter. Dallas led 29-12 at the end of the opening frame.
Flau’jae Johnson knocked down a midrange jumper to open up the second period. Haley Jones scooped in a layup. Jade Melbourne connected on a three-pointer to cut the Storm’s deficit down to 14. Johnson then used a beautiful crossover to beat Kitija Laksa down the baseline and finished with a reverse layup. Johnson found Awa Fam in transition under the rim for two. Paige Bueckers drew a foul off Taylor Thierry and added two points from the line. Fam answered back with a wing three and Flau’jae added a deep two to cut the Storm’s deficit to single digits, forcing Wings’ Coach Jose Fernandez to call a timeout.
Out of the timeout, Paige Bueckers knocked down a midrange jumper. Fam hit another three-pointer for Seattle. Dominique Malonga scored inside and was fouled but missed the extra free throw, which would have cut the Wings’ lead to three. Bueckers converted an And-1 on the other end. Johnson added a couple more scores, including catching a missed shot by Hiedeman in mid-air and putting it back in. Kuier hit her second three-pointer of the first half to maintain Dallas’ lead.
Arike added two more at the line to put the Wings ahead 45-37. Malonga glinded through the paint and banked it off the glass. Paige hit another jumper. Fam knocked down her third triple of the first half. Ogunbowale bullied her way to the rim. The Storm outscored the Wings 30-20, but Dallas led 49-42 at the midway point.
Ogunbowale opened up the third quarter with another three-pointer. Maddy Siegrist scored off the mismatch down low. Dominique Malonga answered back with a three-pointer and a score down low with the assist from Hiedeman. Fam was fouled down low and made both free throws. Siegrist made a three and Arike scored off the offensive rebound. Shepard scored on a strong drive to the rim. Fam and Johnson converted for Seattle.
Bueckers drew the defense in and found Shepard open under the rim for the easy score. Paige added two more from the line to put the Wings back ahead by double digits at 65-55. Aziaha James got on the board with a pull-up jumper. Flau’jae and Paige swapped And-1 opportunities on each end. Odyssey Sims scored after Seattle turned it over to put the Wings ahead by 14. Taylor Thierry drilled a corner three, but Ogunbowale scored in the lane. Shepard and James added more points from the free throw line as Dallas extended its lead to 15. The Wings led 76-63 at the end of the third period.
Malonga scored, but Arike countered with an And-1. After Dom scored again, Shepard added another And-1. Natisha Hiedeman finally got on the board with a drive to the rim, and then quickly scored again. Awak connected on another corner three. That was followed up with an And-1 by Odyssey Sims.
Seattle made one late push, a 17-4 run, that cut the Wings’ 19-point 4th quarter lead down to six. During that run, they got big baskets from Jade Melbourne, Natisha Hiedeman, Dominique Malonga, and Awa Fam. The Storm needed just a couple of more stops to potentially send the game to overtime, but Awak Kuier and Paige Bueckers hit back-to-back three-pointers in the final 1:40 left to seal the victory for the Wings.
Maddy Siegrist added one last And-1 in the final 30 seconds to put the cherry on top of the Wings’ 27th victory on the season. At the final buzzer, Dallas had won 103-91.
Final Box Score
Player Interviews
Flau’jae Johnson, Awa Fam, Dominique Malonga:
Coach’s Quotes
Coach Raman post-game:
Up Next
For the Storm, it’ll be the off-season. The WNBA playoffs kick off on Sunday, September 27th as the Las Vegas Aces will look to defend their championship and go back-to-back for the second time in the past five years.
Notes:
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This trio: Awa, Dom, Flau'...
I think last night's game is the first time I've felt hopeful for the Storm's future since the season began. Even though we lost by a substantial margin, we showed spirit . . . and not just from Flau'jae, who has always showed spirit and given her all.
Tell me, where has the Awa Fam that we saw last night been all season. She was great and looked as if she was enjoying playing. Dom is still having trouble holding onto the ball, but she's made good progress this year.
I see Dom, Flau'jae, Awa Fam, and Hiedeman on the team next year. The rest ... expendable.