A Storm named Stewart scorches the Sun

Seattle, WA -- Seattle brought the thunder in the first quarter scoring 30 points against the Sun. Brianna Stewart had a tremendous first quarter contributing 11 of the team's 30 points. Seattle went on a 10-0 run before Connecticut scored its first basket of the game, but the Sun couldn't seem to figure out how to stop Stewart from behind the rim.

Seattle continued to beat down Connecticut and went on a 17-2 run. The Storm wrapped up its first quarter of play with a 30-16 lead while shooting 77 percent from the field.

However, Seattle wasn't done just yet. A triumphant second quarter by the Storm took any glimmer of hope away from the Sun's lineup. Stewart continued to dominate the game as she scored a new career high in 3-pointers going 5 for 5 with two back-to-back 3's, tying the franchise rookie record for 3-pointers.

Jewell Loyd decided to join the 3-point club in the second quarter followed by Alysha Clark and Sue Bird as they recorded their first 3's of the game. Seattle gained its biggest lead of the game 50-28 as Connecticut began to fall apart.

The Storm's quick offense made it difficult on the Sun as Seattle continued to break records, scoring the highest half of the year with 55 points. The Storm was led out by a standing ovation to end the first-half, 56-37.

But there was a change in momentum in the third quarter as Connecticut came out with a little fire in the first couple minutes of play. The Sun went on a 6-0 run against Seattle, who did not come out very sharp following the first half. Connecticut proved to have a lot more energy in the third as they attempted to close the gap and take advantage of Seattle's below average performance.

Sloppy Seattle play allowed for Connecticut to score 24 points in the third quarter alone, while the Storm only managed to score 18 points. Although the Sun outplayed Seattle in the third quarter, it wasn't enough to secure a lead. Connecticut did manage to cut the lead to 13 as they entered the fourth quarter trailing, 61-74.

The Storm hit the Sun with some déjà vu as they come out dominating the fourth similar to the first-half. Oddly enough, Seattle was out-rebounded and had more turnovers than Connecticut, but a stunning performance by Stewart made it nearly unnoticeable.

A Bird and Stewart duo combined for 19 and 29 points respectively to end the team's 3-game losing streak and capture the win over Connecticut, 98-81.  Stewart, just one point shy of a career high, exited the game with a standing ovation from the crowd as she sat out for the final two minutes.

The Seattle Storm improved its record to 6-15 while the Connecticut Sun dropped to 6-17 overall.