Instant Takeaways: Cooke, Johnson Fuel Storm to Decisive Win Over Sun
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Seattle Storm guard Zia Cooke celebrates a 3-pointer during the Storm’s 77-59 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22, at Climate Pledge Arena. Credit: Courtesy of Seattle Storm [/caption]
The Storm erased a sloppy first quarter and stonewalled the Sun the rest of the way in a 77-59 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Zia Cooke (career-high 25 points) and Flau’jae Johnson (17) combined for 42 points in a landmark day for both players. The Storm shook off any memory of the home loss to the Sun on Wednesday, scoring consistently and thwarting any offense Connecticut tried to piece together.
The Sun shot just 37% from the field and rarely were uncontested after the opening period. Seattle rolled that defense into offense, which hasn’t been a consistent theme so far this season.
Even without Awa Fam, who was activated Friday, Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga, the Storm got all the production it needed from other areas of the roster.
Here’s what we learned from a statement victory over the Sun on Friday.
Short memory on slow start
The Storm began the game 0-for-5 with two turnovers in the first 3.5 minutes. As a result, the Sun stormed out to an 8-0 lead that set the tone following their first win of the season on the same court just two days prior.
Jordan Horston, who has been a complete non-factor offensively so far this season, finally took the lid off the basket with a turnaround mid-range jumper. Johnson followed it up with a 3-pointer that helped spark the Storm.
Seattle battled back. Cooke took over, scoring 10 points in the first 13 minutes off the bench. The Storm began to find some rhythm even though they trailed by two at the end of the first quarter.
They took their first lead of the game over the Sun, 29-27, midway through the second quarter.
Cooke heated up and didn’t cool down. The Storm began turning their defense into offense, making everything difficult for Connecticut down low and beyond the arc. Seattle outscored Connecticut 18-7 in the second quarter, led by a game-high 16 points from Cooke.
The Storm made three 3-pointers in the first half, and Cooke made up two of those. She was playing with a level of confidence we did not see at all last season and have just seen glimpses of so far in 2026.
Seattle entered halftime with a 37-28 advantage.
Keeping foot on gas pedal
The Sun went nearly eight minutes without a field goal from midway through the second quarter to the first 2.5 minutes of the third. Seattle’s defense was the most impressive we’ve seen so far this season, and players like Johnson continued to impress for the Storm offensively.
Connecticut struggled to top 40% shooting, opting for the high-volume approach and rarely getting good looks against multiple Storm lineups.
There were still concerning Storm mistakes. They totaled 15 turnovers in the game, and that won’t work against higher-quality opponents. Still, the tenacity on both ends of the court showed the Storm were willing to fight.
Cooke has voiced her pleasantries about head coach Sonia Raman, and it’s showing. Her career-high night helped punctuate the game for the Storm, erasing the bad memory of a loss two days prior.
The Storm’s defense was as notable as its suddenly explosive offense. Seattle totaled seven blocks, including three each from Johnson and day-of signing Joyner Holmes. Connecticut hardly ever got inside with a free look, and there wasn’t much more opportunity on the perimeter.
That’s a credit to Sonia Raman’s system and the way she is able to plug pieces into an ever-changing lineup. Despite the Storm operating well below full strength, this was arguably their best defensive game.
Natisha Hiedeman added 11 points, two rebounds and six assists for the Storm.
The Sun were led by 13 points from Diamond Miller and 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block from Aaliyah Edwards.
On Cooke, Johnson
Cooke has now scored 10 or more points in four of the Storm’s six games. She’s a huge asset on the bench, especially with her 3-point shooting. Considering she was sent to the Washington Mystics last season as part of the Brittney Sykes trade before returning to the Storm, it’d be easy to assume Cooke had no value on a WNBA team.
And while we can recognize she likely wouldn’t have this kind of role on potentially any other team, there’s something to be said about breathing life into a professional basketball player who is being thrust into Cooke’s current position. She’s making the most of it.
This was Johnson’s most efficient game, which is a huge step in the right direction. Johnson had three prior 12-plus-point games, but she hasn’t shot above 34% all season. Her 7-of-12 line was a massively encouraging performance for her prospects of being able to step into a top-end scoring role.
Johnson set season highs in points, rebounds (7), assists (5) and she also added three blocks. She and Cooke fueled the Storm in multiple ways.
Six-game evaluation
The Storm, even after this decisive win, aren’t a good team. They have good players on the sidelines who could take them to a level higher than they currently are, but the Sun are among the worst teams in the league.
What Seattle did on Friday was a product of streaky players finding a way to get a win and Raman’s defensive scheme preventing what the Sun wanted to do. The Storm still haven’t proved anything against potential playoff teams.
This is a young team that is learning on the fly. That’s going to result in a lot more losses than wins, but it should help them win in future seasons if the current core of the roster remains.
To take two of three games against Connecticut was a win for this group, but it would be a sweep for a playoff-hopeful squad.
Up Next
The Storm stay at home for the third of a four-game home stand, hosting the Washington Mystics (2-2) at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 24. That’ll be the first of two straight games against Washington, both of which will be at Climate Pledge Arena.
