Mystics vs. Storm: Shakira Austin's Season-High 27 Spoils Natisha Hiedeman's Career Night in 84-79 Win

Natisha Hiedeman made 14 of 24 shots on Sunday. The rest of the Seattle Storm combined to make 16 of 46. That's the whole game in two sentences, and it would have been a much happier story for Seattle if the final 10 minutes hadn't happened.

Hiedeman poured in a career-high 31 and still went home with a loss, because Shakira Austin scored 10 of her season-high 27 in the fourth quarter and the Washington Mystics pulled out an 84-79 win at CareFirst Arena. Seattle led for 71 percent of the afternoon, and it will tell you exactly how little that's worth.

Seattle Had This One, Until It Didn't

For three quarters, this looked like a rare good day for a bad-record team. The Storm went up 24-18 after one and 45-40 at the half, and they did it while their two young bigs were busy collecting fouls. Dominique Malonga and rookie Awa Fam had more personal fouls combined (five) than points (four) at the break. Hiedeman made sure that didn't matter.

Seattle's best stretch came midway through the third, when an 8-0 burst in less than a minute turned a one-point game into a 61-52 lead, the Storm's largest of the day. Washington didn't crack. The Mystics answered with a 12-7 finish to the quarter and were within 68-64 going to the fourth, close enough for the home team to feel a pulse.

Then the Storm fell apart. Seattle shot 4 of 14 and committed eight turnovers in the final period, and Washington won it 20-11. Georgia Amoore's driving layup with 4:07 left made it 80-74. Fam got one back at 2:14, but the game stayed on a tightrope until Austin scored from four feet off an Iriafen pass with 58.8 seconds to go. Seattle got to the line and pulled within 82-79 at 51.1, the closest it would come, and Sonia Citron closed the door with two free throws at 17.7.

Two Stars, One Very Different Supporting Cast

Austin was the best player on the floor when it mattered most. She shot 10 of 18, went 2 of 4 from three and 5 of 7 at the line, grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists. The Mystics say the 27 was a season high, which the box scores back up, and her block also moved her into a tie for seventh on the franchise's all-time list. Ten points in a fourth quarter this tight isn't padding. It's the difference.

She had help, which is where this game separated. Citron added 19 on 7-of-13 shooting with three steals. Kiki Iriafen had 12 points and 12 rebounds, five on the offensive glass, for her ninth double-double of the season. Rookie Lauren Betts came off the bench for 11 in 16 minutes, and Alicia Florez chipped in four assists. Washington assisted on 23 of its 31 baskets, which is what happens when the ball keeps moving and nobody has to save the day alone.

Hiedeman, meanwhile, had to save the day alone. She scored 31, added three steals, three assists and three rebounds, and played 33 minutes without much relief from anyone. Only two of her 14 makes came from three, so she spent the afternoon getting into the teeth of the defense and finishing anyway. Seattle managed just 12 assists as a team, and Flau'jae Johnson went 2 of 9 despite a useful seven rebounds and four steals. Fam shot 2 of 9, and Jade Melbourne finished with nine points.

Malonga deserves a mention. The 20-year-old had 10 points, 15 rebounds, eight of them offensive, plus two blocks and two steals in 22 foul-limited minutes. Five fouls kept her off the floor more than Seattle could afford, and it's not hard to imagine this game going differently with her out there for 30.

Eight Turnovers in 10 Minutes

The turning point wasn't a shot so much as a slow leak. Seattle entered the fourth with a four-point lead and then treated the basketball like it was on loan. Those eight fourth-quarter giveaways were more than a third of the Storm's 20 total, and Washington turned Seattle's mistakes into 24 points on the afternoon. Hiedeman couldn't fix that by herself, however many shots she took.

The Mystics, by contrast, got calmer as the quarter went along. Their last two scores came from Austin and Citron, the two people you'd pick, and Iriafen made the pass on the biggest one. This is also becoming a pattern. The Dallas Wings' own notes from later that same day have Washington tied with them for the league lead in fourth-quarter comebacks, and Sunday was another one for the pile.

The Numbers That Mattered

• Assists: Washington 23, Seattle 12.
• Points off turnovers: Washington 24, Seattle 18.
• Rebounds: Seattle 43, Washington 32, including 16 offensive boards for the Storm.
• Fast-break points: Seattle 15, Washington 2.
• Bench points: Washington 22, Seattle 15.

Where Things Stand

The Mystics go to 11-10 and 5-5 at home, back above .500 and with a bit of a palate cleanser after a 62-49 home loss to Golden State last Monday. They've now taken two of three from Seattle this season, following an 85-97 loss and a 78-64 win on the road in May. They head to Toronto on Tuesday.

The Storm drop to 6-19 and 2-11 on the road, losers of two straight. There's still a trip to Chicago on Wednesday, and a very real question about how long one guard can carry an offense that shoots 35 percent when she isn't the one shooting.

Home Alone, Road Edition

Hiedeman spent Sunday playing Kevin McCallister: left to fend for herself, surprisingly resourceful, and rigging up something clever every time the bad guys came through the door. But the movie gets a happy ending because the family eventually shows up. Her teammates went 16 of 46. Nobody got on the plane in time.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press, the Washington Mystics and the Dallas Wings.