Seattle, WA (May 4, 2025): Tonight, the Connecticut Sun fell to the Seattle Storm, 79-59, in their first preseason game of the 2025 season. Nine players made their first appearances in a Sun uniform, including five rookies logging their first WNBA minutes.

Veteran forward Tina Charles led the way in scoring for the Sun in her first game in a Connecticut uniform since the 2013 season. She finished with 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.

Haley Peters added 11 points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in 25 minutes of play. She also accounted for three of the Sun’s five three-point field goals in the game, going 3/3 from beyond the arc. Rookie Amy Okonkwo rounded out the double-digit scorers for Connecticut, tallying 10 points, four rebounds and one assist in 16 minutes of action off the bench in her first WNBA preseason game.

The Sun shot 32.3% from the floor, while the Storm went 48.3% on the day. Both teams struggled from behind the three-point line, as the Sun shot 25% (5/20), while the Storm shot 31.2% (5/16). The Storm outrebounded the Sun, 42-28, while the Sun held the advantage in steals in the contest, 14-10. Seattle outscored Connecticut, 46-28, in the paint and 11-6 on the fast break. The Sun won the battle of second chance points, 18-15.

Nneka Ogwumike led all Storm scorers with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 20 minutes of play, while newly acquired center Li Yueru added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

With the loss, the Sun fall to 9-3 in preseason contests dating back to the 2018 season. They also fall to 0-2 all-time against the Storm in preseason action.

1Q: Tina Charles opened up the game’s scoring with a two-point hook shot, but the Storm took a 14-10 lead over the Sun heading into the first media timeout of the game. Haley Peters led the Sun with five points in the opening five minutes. Connecticut let up a 10-2 run to end the quarter to trail Seattle, 24-12, heading into the second. The Sun shot just 29.4% (5/17), while the Storm went 42.1% (8/19) from the field in the first.

2Q: Both teams opened with nine points each to begin the second quarter, 33-21, with the Storm calling a timeout with 6:08 to play in the half. Charles tallied four of the Sun’s nine points in the starting minutes of the second. Seattle went on a 6-2 run out of their timeout to extend their lead to 16, 39-23, with 4:05 to go in the first half. The Sun trailed by as many as 18 in the second quarter, but were able to cut the lead to 13, 45-32, heading into the locker room. Charles led all Sun scorers with eight points, along with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block through twenty minutes of action.

3Q: The Sun trailed 59-41 with 4:25 to play in the third after the Storm opened the second half on a 14-9 run. Olivia Nelson-Ododa had four of Connecticut’s nine coming out of the locker room. Seattle closed the quarter outscoring Connecticut, 9-8, to take a 19-point edge into the fourth, 68-49. Nelson-Ododa, Amy Okonkwo and Kariata Diaby each notched four points in the quarter to pace the Sun.

4Q: Charles tallied four quick points to begin the fourth to cut the Storm’s advantage to 15, 68-53, and force Seattle into a timeout with 8:00 minutes to play in the game. Seattle went on to outscore Connecticut, 11-10, in the final frame to close out the 20-point win, 79-59. Peters notched six of her 11 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Sun.

Next Game: The Connecticut Sun are back in preseason action on Friday, May 9 when they take on the New York Liberty at 7:00 PM ET at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Connecticut Sun Waives Madison Hayes and Amy Okonkwo

Connecticut Falls to Seattle, 79-59, in Opening Preseason Contest of 2025