Sue Bird knocks down a three in the clutch as Seattle Storm stun Connecticut Sun 81-79 – WNBA Recap
Sue Bird was in her groove from the tip off. By the time, the first half ended, the veteran forward had already scored 13 points as Seattle Storm held a 47-40 lead over Connecticut Sun. However, she went cold in the third and the
early parts of the fourth as Sun made a comeback.
But, just when the Sun thought, they had sealed the game in the dying seconds; Storm gave the ball to their go-to player. With the clock running out, Bird knocked down a three point dagger right into the hearts of Connecticut as
Seattle Storm squeaked out an 81-79 win, their third in as many games.
Bird finished with a game-high 20 points and also grabbed five rebounds.
“She is extremely clutch,” Storm coach Brian Agler said. “We try to give her the ball in those situations and she has come through numerous times. I've been around clutch players so I can't tell you she's necessarily better, but
she's come through more than anybody I've been around.”
Bird’s improbable shot helped the defending champions move into sole possession of second place in the Western Conference, while snapping the three-game winning streak of Connecticut.
The 30-year-old guard finished with 7 for 15 shooting from the field, including 4 for 7 from three-point range. Tanisha Wright had 18 points, five assists and four rebounds in the victory. Wright shot 6 for 10 from the floor and
5 for 6 from free throw line. Swin Cash totalled 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Camille Little contributed 13 points, four rebounds and two steals for Seattle.
Renee Montgomery led Connecticut with 19 points, six boards, three assists and two steals. Montgomery went 7 for 13 from the field, pinning 3 of 3 three-pointer. Tina Charles recorded a double-double with a game best 10 rebounds
and 18 points in the losing effort. Charles also blocked two shot and stole the ball twice for Connecticut. Asjha Jones added 12 points while Kara Lawson and Kelsey Griffin came off the bench with 11 points each for the Sun, who have lost six of their previous
ten games.
Seattle shot 54.7 percent from the field and 84.6 from free throw line and limited visiting team to just 47.7 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from the line.
In the third quarter, Connecticut played much better defence than the first half, but Storm still managed to maintain a six-point lead, 63-57, heading into the fourth.
Connecticut entered the fourth quarter stronger, and put an end to Seattle’s dominance by taking a point lead, 79-78, with three seconds to go. The game was theirs to win, but they gave Bird an open look and she made them pay for
it.
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