Erica Wheeler came off the bench to score 17 points, drilling five 3-pointers and hitting a game-winning pull-up with 19.2 seconds left as the Seattle Storm rallied to a 74-73 victory over the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena. The comeback secured a playoff berth for Seattle and halted a two-game skid in front of a sellout crowd of 12,500. The game swung late after Golden State opened a 60-50 lead late in the third quarter; Seattle dominated the fourth, outscoring the Valkyries 21-12. Coach Noelle Quinn and teammates framed Wheeler’s shot as the culmination of a season-long run of improvement and trust.
Key takeaways
- Final score: Seattle Storm 74, Golden State Valkyries 73; attendance 12,500 at Climate Pledge Arena.
- Erica Wheeler finished with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting off the bench, including five 3-pointers and the game-winner with 19.2 seconds remaining.
- Seattle shot 57.4% in the fourth quarter while holding Golden State to 5-for-20 (25%) down the stretch.
- Nneka Ogwumike posted 16 points and eight rebounds; Brittney Sykes added 14 points; Skylar Diggins scored 10 with six assists.
- Janelle Salaun led the Valkyries with a game-high 22 points; Veronica Burton and Fagbenle each had 14 for Golden State.
- The Storm finish the regular season 23-21; Golden State recorded a 23-20 mark and will close its regular season on Thursday against the Minnesota Lynx.
- A Valkyries win in the corresponding scheduling scenario would have impacted Seattle’s seed; with Tuesday’s result the Storm clinched a postseason spot and preserved seeding permutations to be settled by remaining league results.
Background
Seattle entered Tuesday’s game under pressure: a win-and-you’re-in situation after squandering a fourth-quarter lead four days earlier. The Storm had been searching for scoring lift off the bench and consistent defensive stops; Erica Wheeler’s season-long jump in production made her a focal point as the regular season reached its final games. Noelle Quinn emphasized mental focus in pregame remarks, calling this type of matchup both emotionally charged and defining for a team that has weathered injuries and lineup changes.
For Golden State, a Valkyries win would have altered the lower-half playoff seeding and potentially forced Seattle onto the road in the first round. The Valkyries had built momentum late in the third quarter with a 13-0 burst that included three consecutive threes, a run that briefly pushed them ahead 60-50 with 1:11 left in the period. Both franchises entered the evening with postseason goals within reach and roster decisions — rotations, defensive assignments and late-game roles — suddenly magnified.
Main event
The third quarter shifted the game’s tone when Golden State strung together a 13-0 run capped by multiple long-range makes, creating a 10-point lead and forcing Seattle to respond. Seattle’s defense tightened in the fourth: the Storm limited the Valkyries to 5-for-20 shooting in the period while converting at 57.4% themselves. Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike drew fouls and converted late free throws to put Seattle up briefly, but Iliana Rupert answered with a step-back three over Diggins to knot the game at 72-72 with 36.6 seconds remaining.
With the season hanging in the balance, Wheeler took over. She knocked down five triples across the night, the last culminating in a pull-up jumper from the lane with 19.2 seconds to play that gave Seattle a one-point lead. Ezi Magbegor followed on the defensive end by contesting two Valkyries attempts and forcing misses, and Wheeler secured the final rebound as time expired to seal the win.
Individual performances shaped the result: Ogwumike’s 16 points and eight rebounds and Brittney Sykes’ 14 points complemented Wheeler’s scoring burst, while Golden State leaned on Salaun’s 22 points and contributions from Burton and Fagbenle (14 each). The Storm’s bench swing — Wheeler’s 32 minutes off the bench was a team-high — provided the lift Seattle needed in a pressure game that decided postseason fate.
Analysis & implications
Wheeler’s late-game heroics underscore a deeper shift in Seattle’s rotation: a bench player moving into high-leverage offensive and defensive minutes. That versatility and shooting have made her a candidate in conversations around Most Improved Player, though award outcome remains separate from single-game impact. For Seattle, the win preserves postseason access and gives Quinn’s group momentum heading into a short turnaround; playoff matchups and seeding will still depend on other league results, but the psychological boost of a come-from-behind clincher is significant.
Defensively, the Storm’s ability to clamp down in the fourth quarter — dropping Golden State to 25% shooting — highlights improved late-game schemes and effort, particularly from Magbegor on the interior and guards contesting shots on the perimeter. Offensively, relying on a bench scorer like Wheeler to deliver consistent threes changes matchup planning for opponents and creates more spacing around Ogwumike and Diggins.
Looking ahead, seeding will determine whether Seattle faces a top-seeded Minnesota team on the road or an alternative matchup such as Las Vegas or Atlanta; each path presents different stylistic challenges. Minnesota’s size and depth would test Seattle’s interior defense, while Las Vegas or Atlanta would present faster-paced offensive tests. The Storm’s final regular-season record of 23-21 positions them to prepare for any of those scenarios but underscores how thin margins are in late-season playoff qualification.
Comparison & data
| Metric | Seattle | Golden State |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 74 | 73 |
| Fourth-quarter FG% | 57.4% | 25.0% (5-for-20) |
| Key scoring leaders | Wheeler 17, Ogwumike 16 | Salaun 22 |
| Seattle record (final) | 23-21 | 23-20 |
The table highlights the decisive swing in fourth-quarter efficiency and the narrow final margin. Seattle’s improved return on shots in the final period overcame a mid-game deficit created by Golden State’s 13-0 run. The individual box-score details — Wheeler’s five made threes and Magbegor’s defensive plays — align with the game-level trends visible in team shooting splits and turnover margins.
Reactions & quotes
Quinn framed the moment as a career-defining instance for Wheeler while underscoring the team aspect of the win.
“Erica is having a career here this year… to see a big moment and to seize the moment.”
Noelle Quinn, Seattle Storm head coach
Wheeler deflected individual praise toward the collective effort and the stakes of a win-and-in game.
“It’s not really about me…we knew how important this game was to get into postseason.”
Erica Wheeler, reserve guard
Veteran Nneka Ogwumike highlighted the readiness and composure that carried the Storm through the final sequence.
“You got to want to be in those moments…we have a gang of people on our team that can be in those moments.”
Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle Storm forward
Unconfirmed
- Most Improved Player status for Erica Wheeler remains a league award conversation and is not officially decided by this game result.
- Exact playoff opponent and seed for Seattle depend on results from other regular-season games and league tiebreakers still pending at the time of this report.
Bottom line
Seattle’s 74-73 comeback serves as both a literal and symbolic turning point: a late-season win that clinches postseason access and validates the rotation pieces coach Noelle Quinn has leaned on, especially Erica Wheeler. Wheeler’s five threes and the late pull-up will be remembered as a defining moment of her season and a catalyst for the Storm’s playoff push.
Yet the victory also shifts focus immediately to preparation: seedings, scouting, and short-term recovery. How the Storm translate this momentum — guarding the arc, sustaining late-game defense, and managing minutes for key contributors — will shape their chances in the opening round.
Sources
- The Seattle Times game recap (local newspaper, game coverage).
- WNBA — official league site (league box scores and schedules).
- Seattle Storm — official team site (team announcements and recaps).