Connecticut Drops Road Contest to Seattle, 79-65
July 11, 2025 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release
Seattle, WA - Tonight, the Connecticut Sun (3-17) fell to the Seattle Storm (13-8) in their second match-up in three days, 79-65, on the road in Seattle. The Sun drop to 1-2 against the Storm during the 2025 regular season, with their last meeting coming on July 28 in Uncasville.
Tina Charles led the Sun with her second-straight double-double, notching 20 points and 10 rebounds. With 20 points on the evening, the WNBA veteran eclipsed 8,000 points in her professional career. She joins Diana Taurasi as the only other player in league history to achieve the 8,000-point feat. She now has 8,010 points in her career, sitting second all-time in WNBA history.
Saniya Rivers contributed a career-high tying 12 points, along with two rebounds, three assists and two steals. The rookie guard has gone nine-straight games with at least one steal and put up her 11th game this season with at least 2+ steals. Her rookie counterpart Leila Lacan tallied a career-high 10 points, seven rebounds and one assist in a career-high 32 minutes played off the bench in the game. Olivia Nelson-Ododa rounded out the Sun's double-digit scorers with 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
The Sun began the game on a 6-0 run, holding the Storm scoreless and 0/6 from the field until the 6:22 mark of the first quarter. Both teams notched 10 points each to close the first, with Connecticut taking a 16-10 lead into the second quarter. Tina Charles led the Sun with eight points, six rebounds and one assist through ten minutes of action. The Storm's 10 first-quarter points mark the lowest output the Sun have allowed in the first quarter this season.
A 9-8 start to the second quarter by the Storm trimmed the Sun's lead to five, 24-19, with 5:52 to play in the first half. Aneesah Morrow had four of Connecticut's eight points to start the second. The Storm went on a 10-4 run to take a 29-28 lead over the Sun with 1:57 to play in the first half, but the Sun closed the quarter on a 5-2 spurt to take a 33-31 lead into the locker room. Tina Charles led all scorers with 10 points, along with six rebounds, two assists and one steal through two quarters of action. The Sun outscored the Storm 22-12 in the paint and 12-6 in second chance point opportunities in the first half.
Connecticut started the second on a 9-4 run to extend their lead back up to seven, 42-35, but Seattle responded on a 9-3 run to cut the lead to one, 45-44, with 5:38 to play in the third. Saniya Rivers had five of the Sun's 12 points to begin the second half. The Storm outscored the Sun, 11-7, the rest of the way to take a three-point lead into the fourth, 55-52. Saniya Rivers led Connecticut with eight points in the third quarter.
The Sun called a timeout with 8:14 to play in the fourth after a quick 4-2 start by the Storm, extending their lead to five, 59-54. Connecticut responded on a 4-0 spurt to force Seattle into a timeout with 59-58, with 7:38 to go in the game. The Sun were able to regain the lead, 62-60, but the Storm went on a 9-2 run to take the 69-64 advantage with 3:34 to play in the fourth. Connecticut's offensive struggles continued down the stretch, as the team went scoreless from the 4:27 mark to the 22.1 second mark, as Seattle closed the game on a 10-1 run to take the 79-65 win.
The Sun shot 36.2% (21/58) from the field, while the Storm shot 45.3% (29/64) from the floor in the game. Connecticut shot just 18.8% (3/16) from three-point range, hitting all three three-point field goals in the second half of action.
Connecticut outrebounded Seattle, 35-28, but the Storm won the assist battle, 22-11. The Sun's 11 assists tie a season low. The Sun turned the ball over 17 times, resulting in 13 points for the Storm, while Connecticut converted just four points off Seattle's eight turnovers.
Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST
CON 65 16 17 19 13 Tina Charles-20 Tina Charles-10 Saniya Rivers/Tina Charles- 3
SEA 79 10 21 24 24 Gabby Williams- 18 Dominque Malonga- 8 Four players- 5
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun travel to Los Angeles to take on the Los Angeles Sparks for the first time this season on Sunday, July 13 at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM ET.
MEDIA:
Press Conference Recordings
Game Photos via Getty Images
MEDIA AVAILABILITY 7/12- None- film/individual workouts only.
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