Sun escape – Kennedy Burke hit an and-1 with 2.8 seconds left to lift the Connecticut Sun to an 80-78 win over the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena Wednesday, snapping a five-game losing streak.
For five straight games, the Connecticut Sun couldn’t find a way to finish on top. Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena, they finally did—barely, dramatically, and with the kind of final stretch that makes a crowd hold its breath.
The Sun escaped the Seattle Storm 80-78 after Kennedy Burke connected on an and-1 with 2.8 seconds left. The play began with Natisha Hiedeman missing a jumper, giving Aaliyah Edwards the rebound. Edwards got the ball to Charlisse Leger-Walker, who found Burke streaking to the rim. Burke made the layup and was fouled by Lexie Brown, then sank the free throw to put the game away.
Seattle still had a chance to steal it. Hiedeman missed the three-pointer that would have completed the comeback, and the Sun—who had been the final winless team before the contest—pulled through.
Burke’s impact was immediate and lasting. She scored 15 points off the bench in 23 minutes, including three three-pointers, and added six rebounds. Leger-Walker paced Connecticut with 16 points. She also contributed two rebounds and three assists and came off the bench.
On the other side, Hiedeman finished with 20 points and five rebounds for Seattle. The Storm suffered their third straight defeat and dropped to 1-4.
The margin of the win didn’t tell the whole story. The Sun held the Storm to 44% shooting and turned 17 Seattle turnovers into 20 points. When the game tightened, it was also the inside presence that mattered most: Connecticut scored 50 points in the paint.
There was a significant bench pulse as well. The matchup featured 62 bench points from the Sun and 49 for Seattle.
Even the bigger picture is laced with urgency for Connecticut. The Sun are in their final season. with the franchise set to relocate to Texas next year and resurrect the Houston Comets following the sale to business mogul Tilman Fertitta. He also owns the Houston Rockets. A rematch with the Storm is scheduled for Friday.
The Sun had been waiting for a breakthrough. Wednesday’s ending delivered one—right down to 2.8 seconds, a foul by Lexie Brown, and a three-point miss that gave Connecticut its first win of the 2026 season.
Connecticut Sun Seattle Storm WNBA Kennedy Burke Charlisse Leger-Walker Natisha Hiedeman Aaliyah Edwards Lexie Brown Climate Pledge Arena 2026 season
80-78… with 2.8 seconds left?? that’s crazy, love a last second clutch.
So they’re moving the Sun to Texas next year and restarting the Comets?? I’m confused why they don’t just stay. Like won’t half the fanbase just disappear or what.
Wait, Kennedy Burke hit an and-1 but the article says she scored 15 off the bench… so she was the starter? Or does WNBA just count everything different? Either way, sounds like the Storm choked.
I swear this is the same Seattle team that always gives up the paint. 50 points in the paint and 17 turnovers turned into 20 points… like that’s basically it right there. Also Climate Pledge Arena makes it sound like the game was in a volcano lol, 2.8 seconds and a miss from Hiedeman, rough.