The Seattle Storm (5-4) has reached the quarter mark of their season in the lower half of the overall WNBA standings after a start that has the team doing some soul searching.

Their next chance to make adjustments will come Sunday when they take on the visiting Connecticut Sun.

The Storm has been inconsistent offensively, and the shooting woes showed up again in Seattle’s 68-51 home loss to the Dallas Wings on Friday. The Storm shot 31.7 percent from the floor and 17.2 percent (5 of 29) from 3-point range. Seattle also turned the ball over 16 times.

Forward Breanna Stewart has done her best to carry the team with a WNBA-leading 21.6 points per game. She also has 7.6 rebounds over the team’s first nine games.

Seattle is still without starters Sue Bird and Ezi Magbegor, who have missed three straight games in the WNBA’s health and safety protocols.

Despite the on-court issues and personnel shortages, Stewart is taking a measured approach.

“This is not the time to hit the panic button,” Stewart said, according to the Seattle Times. “This is the time to figure (it) out. And that’s what we need to do. We have a team full of vets. Obviously, hoping to get (Bird and Magbegor) back at some point, but while they are out, we need to be better.”

The Sun (8-3) have opened the season as the second-best team in the league behind the Las Vegas Aces and have won four of five games. That run includes back-to-back road wins over the Aces and the struggling Phoenix Mercury.

Connecticut has thrived with a balanced offensive attack, led by forward Alyssa Thomas (15.5 points per game). Four other Sun players average in double figures: Jonquel Jones (14.7), DeWanna Bonner (14.6), Brionna Jones (13.2) and Courtney Williams (10.7).

–Field Level Media