Marquette Professional Athletes

Natisha Hiedeman had the kind of game that makes highlight reels even when the final score doesn't. The Marquette alumna dished out 14 assists for the Seattle Storm on Thursday, September 24 against the Dallas Wings — a performance that stands as a potential season or career high and one of the more eye-catching individual stat lines of the WNBA week, regardless of school affiliation.

The assists weren't the whole story, but they were the story. Hiedeman also added 10 points and two steals, rounding out a stat sheet that read like a point guard fully in command of an offense. The Storm lost the contest 91-103, and Hiedeman finished at -11 in plus/minus — a reminder that individual brilliance and team results don't always travel together — but 14 dimes in a single game is the kind of number that transcends a box score footnote.

The performance capped a week that had otherwise been a grind. Seattle dropped all three games in the September 20–26 stretch, and Hiedeman's earlier outings showed considerably less pop. She finished with 5 points and 3 assists in a 57-70 loss to Golden State on Sunday the 20th, then mustered just 4 points and 3 assists in a 77-98 defeat to Las Vegas on Monday the 21st. Both games left her in double-digit negative plus/minus territory, reflecting a Storm squad that struggled to stay competitive across the week.

What made Thursday's performance notable was precisely that context. Hiedeman didn't manufacture a big assist night in a blowout win or garbage time — she orchestrated offense for a team fighting through a rough stretch, and the 14-assist mark emerged from genuine playmaking volume. For Marquette fans tracking the Golden Eagles' WNBA footprint, it's the clearest evidence yet that Hiedeman remains a legitimate starting-caliber point guard in the league.

The Storm's losing week dims the backdrop, but Hiedeman's Thursday showing is the kind of milestone alumni can point to with real pride — a Golden Eagle running an offense at the game's highest level and, for one night at least, doing it better than almost anyone in the league.

Marquette's most prominent WNBA representative had another rough week — and not because of anything that happened on the court.

Natisha Hiedeman, the veteran guard who played her college ball in Milwaukee before becoming a key piece for the Seattle Storm, has now missed three consecutive games due to a shoulder injury, with Sunday's absence making it a fourth straight. The latest absence came Sunday in Seattle's home matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks, a game the Storm lost 74–90. Hiedeman was listed on the final injury report and did not suit up.

The timing stings. Seattle's game against the Sparks was the team's final contest before the WNBA pauses for the FIBA World Cup — meaning Hiedeman's last competitive opportunity before the league hiatus came and went from the bench in street clothes. There's no indication yet of when she's expected to return or whether the injury carries any longer-term concern into the back stretch of the season.

Hiedeman has been a reliable presence for the Storm at the guard position, and her absence has been notable enough to feature in Seattle's official injury reports across multiple weeks. The shoulder issue is clearly something the organization is managing with care rather than rushing.

As for fellow Marquette alum Camryn Taylor, the Lynx forward doesn't appear in the box scores or injury reports from this period, leaving her status and contribution largely off the radar for the week.

For Golden Eagles fans, this is a week to watch and wait — hoping Hiedeman's shoulder heals cleanly and that she's ready to contribute when the WNBA action resumes post-FIBA break.