Wings Weather the Storm

IMG. Seattle Storm

By Bo Crouch ~ Axess Sports

SEATTLE — There are losses that leave a team frustrated.

Then there are losses that leave a team believing.

The Seattle Storm walked off the floor at Climate Pledge Arena Thursday night with their franchise-record 11th straight defeat, falling 112-110 to the Dallas Wings in overtime. But despite the result, there was no mistaking the fight Seattle showed against one of the WNBA's hottest teams.

For more than two hours, the Storm refused to go away. They erased deficits, answered Dallas runs and kept finding ways to stay within striking distance. And behind the best performance of Dominique Malonga's young career, Seattle pushed the Wings to the brink before finally running out of answers in overtime.

Dallas improved to 11-6 on the season, while Seattle fell to 3-15 despite producing one of its most complete offensive performances of the year.

Malonga was sensational.

The second-year center poured in a career-high 37 points and added 12 rebounds, scoring from nearly everywhere on the floor. She dominated in transition, attacked the basket with confidence and continued to show why the Storm believe they have found a cornerstone player for the future.

Every time Seattle needed a basket, Malonga seemed ready to provide it.

And for much of the second half, it looked as though she might carry the Storm to one of the biggest upsets of the season.

But Dallas simply had too many weapons.

Paige Bueckers finished with 27 points and once again looked every bit like one of the league's brightest young stars. More importantly, she delivered when the Wings needed her most.

Bueckers scored 17 of Dallas' final 24 points and erased a six-point deficit in the final 1:24 of regulation. She knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game, then added a clutch fadeaway as Dallas forced overtime and shifted momentum back to its side.

While Bueckers grabbed the headlines, Jessica Shepard quietly controlled the pace of the game.

Shepard finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, flirting with a triple-double while repeatedly creating opportunities for teammates. Her versatility forced Seattle to defend every inch of the floor, and whenever the Storm threatened to seize momentum, Shepard seemed to make the play that steadied Dallas.

The Wings also received major contributions from Azzi Fudd, who scored 26 points, while Aziaha James added 18 points off the bench. That depth has become one of Dallas' greatest strengths, and Thursday night it proved to be the difference.

Seattle entered the fourth quarter trailing by four and immediately found another gear.

Natisha Hiedeman orchestrated the offense brilliantly, finishing with 11 assists while consistently finding Malonga in advantageous spots. The Storm chipped away possession after possession until the game evolved into a back-and-forth battle where neither team could create much separation.

There were 19 lead changes in this game and with each possession, the tension inside Climate Pledge Arena continued to rise. You could feel the energy of all fourteen thousand fans as every late basket dropped.

Dallas looked ready to pull away more than once, but Seattle always seemed to have an answer. That resilience eventually pushed the game into overtime, where the intensity only increased.

The extra period felt like a heavyweight fight.

Dallas attacked the rim.

Seattle countered.

Bueckers made a big shot.

Malonga answered.

Neither side blinked.

In the final moments, Dallas executed just a little better.

The Wings finished with a 62-44 advantage in points in the paint and scored 23 fast-break points, repeatedly turning defensive stops into easy offense. Dallas also converted Seattle's 13 turnovers into 20 points, small margins that ultimately proved decisive in a two-point overtime game.

For Seattle, there are no moral victories.

The record says 3-15. The standings don't care how close the game was.

Still, if there was one encouraging sign Thursday night, it was the continued emergence of Dom. The second-year player looked every bit like a future star, and for the first time in a while, the Storm looked like a team beginning to discover its identity.

Meanwhile, Bueckers reached another milestone, becoming the fourth-fastest player in WNBA history to score 1,000 career points, accomplishing the feat in just 52 games.

Unfortunately for Seattle, history and milestones belonged to Dallas.

The Storm had the fight.

The Wings had one more basket.

And sometimes, that's all the difference there is.