Storm get 1st victory of season

WASHINGTON – Sue Bird wouldn’t let the Seattle Storm start the season 0-4.

The veteran point guard scored 16 points and the Storm avoided their second 0-4 start in franchise history with a 73-65 victory over the Washington Mystics on Saturday night.

Bird sank a 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining to give the Storm (1-3) a 67-60 lead after Washington pulled within four points using a 7-0 run. Camille Little had 15 points and Tanisha Wright added 14.

Seattle outscored Washington 29-19 in the third quarter and shot 56 percent in the second half. The Storm made 5 of 10 on their 3-point attempts in the second half, including Bird’s clutch basket.

“We’re up (64-53). Then they got a lot of offensive rebounds, some stick-backs, some shots go in and, yeah, as a team we’re thinking we need to make a play,” said Bird, who, like her team, struggled shooting in the losses. “It just so happened (that) the ball was in my hands and I hit a shot.”