Top Storm Takeaways From Seattle’s Home Win Against the Connecticut Sun, May 22nd, 2026
By Jess Amato
Seattle, WA - Our Seattle Storm hosted the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22nd. This game marked the third time these two teams had met for the 2026 WNBA season, and this marked the end of the season series. Each team had already won one game in the series, with the Storm taking the first matchup on May 10th in Connecticut and the Sun beating the Storm on Wednesday, May 20th, to take their first win of the season.
The Storm were slow to find their footing in the first half of the game, but they came out swinging in the third to take a commanding lead. They kept this lead throughout the rest of the second half of the game, earning them a 77-59 win, their first home win of the season.
Seattle Storm guard Zia Cooke, who put together a statline of 25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal off the bench, during the team’s win over the Connecticut Sun on May 22nd, 2026, at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
Cooke Put on a Masterclass Performance
It’s very early into the 2026 WNBA season, but Storm guard Zia Cooke is already putting on a masterclass performance. Against the Sun, she recorded a career-high points total of 25 in 24 minutes. She averaged over a point per minute, which is fantastic for this Storm team as they try to find their footing this season.
Even though the season just started, Cooke is already having a stronger performance than she has had in her entire career. For her three years in the WNBA, her career average points per game is 4.5. This season, she is at 12.3 PPG. She also has 3.5 rebounds per game, compared to her 0.9 for her career average.
Last season, Cooke only played 20-plus minutes in two games. This season, the Storm have already played six games, and Cooke has three games where she has played more than 20 minutes.
The makeup of the Storm has changed considerably throughout the course of the offseason, with several veterans leaving the team and even the head coach changing. Cooke now has the opportunity to get more minutes, and she is proving to be a valuable asset to the Storm this season already.
Seattle Storm rookie Flau’jae Johnson before, during, and after the teams victory over the Connecticut Sun on May 22nd, 2026, at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Bryant Garduque for Circling Seattle Sports)
Johnson Continues to Shine
While Cooke is a younger veteran, Flau’jae Johnson’s rookie year is already taking flight. Johnson has only played six games in her WNBA career thus far, but she has already recorded a new high minutes total and a new high PPG. Against the Sun, Johnson recorded 17 points in 31 minutes while also setting career highs in made field goals (7), rebounds (7), and assists (5).
In Johnson’s debut game, she recorded 16 points in 30 minutes. In just one additional minute, she recorded another point. Even though Johnson is only gaining her first WNBA minutes, she is proving to be a valuable asset to the team.
The Storm shocked everyone at the WNBA draft when they traded 16th overall pick Marta Suarez to the Golden State Valkyries in exchange for Johnson. Although she was drafted by Golden State, Johnson quickly swapped her purple hat for the wonderful Storm green. So far, the trade has been proven very valuable to the Storm and Flau’jae is primed to be one of Seattle’s franchise players for years to come.
Storm Need to Reduce Turnovers
The Storm had 15 turnovers throughout the course of the game, which contributed to a poor performance in the first half. They had three turnovers in both the first and second quarters. However, the rebounds gave them the extra push they needed, as Seattle had 43 rebounds altogether.
The Storm had the most rebounds in the third quarter, yet also the most turnovers in a quarter. They consistently converted on their rebound chances, which allowed them to get ahead of the Sun by a wide margin in the second half of the game.
As long as the Storm continue to have a better performance with their rebounds over their turnovers, they’ll continue to be in a better place.
Storm Get Ready to Take On the Washington Mystics
Our Seattle Storm will be back in action on Sunday, May 24th, when they host the Washington Mystics. This will mark the first game between the two teams for the 2026 WNBA season. The Mystics have a lot of young players, and while the Storm have plenty of their own rookie and young players, they could have the opportunity to get the upper hand over them in this game. The Storm have to keep their performance strong throughout the whole 40 minutes of play to keep their chances of recording a second straight win alive.
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