The Storm Blew a 12-Point Lead and the Final 10 Points Sent Them to Their Ninth Straight Loss

Alright, Emerald City, can we even talk about last night? Because what happened in Portland was a gut punch, plain and simple. Our Seattle Storm, playing their hearts out, blew a 12-point lead in the third quarter and then completely collapsed, giving up the final 10 points of the game to fall 94-89 to the Fire. That's right, NINE straight losses. Ninth. Straight. Loss. We're talking 3-13 overall, 0-7 in Commissioner's Cup play. This is tough, fam. This is really tough.

Another Fourth-Quarter Fadeout

You know that feeling when you're watching the clock tick down, feeling good, and then it all just unravels? That was Wednesday night. The Storm held a 74-67 lead going into the fourth quarter, looking like they finally had a win in their sights. But then Portland went on an absolute tear, outscoring us 27-15 in the final period. Emily Engstler hit a fadeaway jumper with 1:17 left to break an 89-89 tie. Then, like a dagger, she drove the lane on their next possession and dished to Bridget Carleton for her seventh 3-pointer of the game with just 40.5 seconds on the clock. Just like that, a five-point swing, and our hopes were gone. It’s infuriating when you see the game slip away like that, especially after showing so much fight.

So Close, Yet So Far

The most frustrating part? We had some truly phenomenal performances. Dominique Malonga absolutely went off, putting up a career-high 28 points and a s

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eason-best 11 rebounds. She was a beast inside, especially in the third quarter where her eight points helped us build that game-high 68-56 lead. Natisha Hiedeman was also huge, dropping 19 points and tying her season high with five 3-pointers. And shoutout to rookie Awa Fam, who celebrated her 20th birthday by matching her season best with 18 points! Our squad was hustling, dominating in the paint with a 20-8 advantage in the first half, and even heading into the break with a 48-47 lead thanks to Fam's free throw. It was a back-and-forth second quarter, but we looked like we were in control, fighting hard.

Early Jitters and a Brief Resurgence

Things started a bit shaky though. The Fire came out hot, hitting four 3-pointers in less than two minutes to jump to a 16-7 lead. It felt like a repeat of Monday's loss in Minnesota, but our squad didn't fold. Hiedeman drained a couple of clutch 3s herself, sparking a 16-5 run that gave us a 23-21 lead by the end of the first quarter. We showed grit, we showed heart, we showed we could punch back. Which just makes this final collapse sting that much more. We need to figure out how to close games. This ninth straight loss is crushing, especially when individual players are stepping up so big. It’s clear the talent is there, but something's gotta change if we're going to turn this season around. Let's hope the team can rally and find a way to snap this brutal streak, because the Emerald City deserves to see our Storm fighting for every win, all the way to the buzzer.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.