TULSA, Okla. —Svetlana Abrosimova scored 19 of her season-high 21 points in the second half and the Western Conference-leading Seattle Storm overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat the Tulsa Shock 83-72 on Sunday.
Down by five points entering the fourth quarter, Abrosimova and Seattle found their touch from 3-point range, hitting 5-of-8 from behind the arc in the quarter, including four consecutive 3s that keyed a 16-0 Storm run.
Abrosimova, who averaged 6.1 points coming into the game, had three 3-pointers in the final period to help Seattle outscore Tulsa 26-10 in the fourth quarter.
“We finally found a way to play aggressive and stay poised,” Abrosimova said. “Their defense is very unpredictable and physical and it took some time for us to adjust. In the fourth quarter, we made the extra pass and didn’t turn the ball over.”
Lauren Jackson led Seattle (13-2) with 24 points. She scored 11 in the first half when Seattle struggled with Tulsa’s pressure defense, scoring 30 points in one of its lowest-scoring halves of the season.
“We had plenty of opportunities to give up, but no one did,” Jackson said. “All of these girls stepped up and we found a way to pull it out in the end.”
Seattle played most of the game without starting guard Sue Bird, who left just two minutes into the game with lower back pain. She will be evaluated on Monday.
“We missed Sue today,” Abrosimova said. “When things were chaotic was when we needed her to help us calm down and play our game.”
Seattle, which has won four straight games and has the WNBA’s best record, needed a strong fourth quarter to overcome a season-high 25 turnovers. The Storm hit 7 of 16 shots in the final 10 minutes.
“To be 10 points ahead of that team (Seattle) at halftime was remarkable for our girls, but we just couldn’t hold it,” Tulsa coach Nolan Richardson said. “Anytime a team can get its head up and is one of the best-shooting teams in the league, it makes a difference. The goal got big for them in the fourth quarter and we were trying to prevent that.”
Tulsa (3-11), which lost its eighth consecutive game, was paced by Scholanda Robinson’s 16 points, while Tiffany Jackson scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in her first start since being acquired in a trade with the New York Liberty.
Tulsa finished the first half on an 18-4 run to take a 40-30 lead into the break. Kara Braxton, who didn’t play in the first quarter, led the Shock with seven points during the run. Marion Jones hit a layup just before the halftime buzzer to cap a first half in which Tulsa forced 15 turnovers.
Jones finished with six points.
The Shock held a one-point lead after the first quarter and outscored Seattle 21-12 in the second period to grab the halftime lead. Chante Black and Robinson converted on back-to-back baskets early in the third quarter to push the Shock lead to 13 points, but Abrosimova’s 3-pointer keyed the start of Seattle’s strong shooting that continued in the half.
NOTES: Seattle coach Brian Agler has been selected to be the head coach for the team of WNBA stars that will face the U.S. National Team next month. “It’s an honor to be coaching in an All-Star event because that means your team’s success is being recognized,” Agler said. “This honor has everything to do with team success and we’re playing at a very high level right now.” … The U.S. team is coached by UConn’s Geno Auriemma. Auriemma’s assistants are Los Angeles Sparks coach Jennifer Gillom and Atlanta Dream coach Marynell Meadors. The game is Saturday, July 10, in Uncasville, Conn.
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