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The Seattle Storm picked up a massive away win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday, icing the victory with a clutch last-second shot. With seconds left in the game, Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike got a buzzer-beater to give Seattle the 84-82 win.
Ogwumike took the contested jumper with two seconds remaining on the clock. The ball hit the rim and rolled for a moment before dropping in right as time ran out.
The Storm had taken an early lead in the first half, before a surging Washington team battled back to tie the game. But, rather than send the game to overtime, Ogwumike sent Seattle home with a much-needed win.
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Overall, it was a career night from Ogwumike, who put up a career-high 30 points in the win. The veteran forward added six rebounds and two assists as well.
Alongside Ogwumike, Dominique Malonga continued to put up stunning numbers off the bench for the Storm: The rookie phenom put up her fourth double-double this season, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Three other Storm players — Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins and Brittany Sykes — finished with double-digit points.
Mystics center Shakira Austin put up 30 of her own in the loss, but her performance wasn’t enough to lift the team over Seattle. Washington now falls to 16-22 as the team desperately tries to stay in playoff contention. The top eight teams in the league qualify for the playoffs; the Mystics are in 10th place after the loss. (The three teams below them, who all only have nine total wins, have all been eliminated from the postseason.)
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For the Storm, however, the win is a much-needed reprieve. After a sudden mid-season slump, Seattle is 20-18 and has won three straight. With six regular-season games remaining, the Storm are currently in seventh place, but are only a few games ahead of the three teams behind them; they will need to build a bit more padding to feel comfortable with a postseason spot.
