Insider Preview - Storm at Connecticut

HEAD-TO-HEAD
11-8 RECORD 12-6
W-2 STREAK W-2
4-1 LAST 5 4-1
72.9 PF 79.3
99.1 Off. Eff. 101.4
71.3 PA 76.8
97.2 Def. Eff. 99.8
32.3 RPG 33.7
.507 Reb % .492
73.5 Pace 76.5
10.5 Exp. Wins 10.5

Storm (11-8) vs. Connecticut (12-6)
Friday, Aug. 5, 7:00 p.m.
KeyArena
TV: NBA TV
Radio: 1090 AM
Live Access: Live Video
Buy Tickets:
Promotion: Women of Inspiration Night presented by Moss Adams LLP

Kevin Pelton, StormBasketball.com


The Connecticut Sun comes to Seattle as one of the WNBA's hottest teams. With Wednesday's matinee victory over the Los Angeles Sparks, the Sun has now won six of its last seven games. A loss to the rival Indiana Fever last Thursday at home is the only blemish on Connecticut's record since July 13, as the Sun has claimed hold of second place behind Indiana in the Eastern Conference.

What has allowed Connecticut to take off recently is improved road play. Overall, the Sun has been the Eastern Conference's answer to the Storm, performing much better in front of the home fans at Mohegan Sun Arena. Connecticut is 8-1 at home and has won those games by an average of 6.4 points per game. The Sun is slightly below .500 (4-5) on the road and has been outscored by 1.3 points a night.

The imbalance was much greater midway through last month. Since then, Connecticut has won its last three road games, including a key win over the New York Liberty at the Prudential Center. The Sun swept a pair of games against the Liberty within a week's span, providing an important cushion over the East's third-place team.

The Connecticut surge started with a change in the team's starting five. Rookie Danielle McCray moved into the lineup at small forward, settling what had been a rotating spot alongside Kalana Greene. McCray, a 2010 first-round pick who did not join the team last season while recovering from a torn ACL, has averaged 10.1 points as a starter and provides floor spacing with her 40 percent-plus shooting from beyond the arc.

The Sun's rotation is more settled now, with Kara Lawson in the familiar role of sixth woman. Streak shooter Tan White and sophomore forward Kelsey Griffin are also part of Connecticut Head Coach Mike Thibault's reserve corps, with veteran Jessica Moore - one of five UConn players on the roster, including four starters - seeing spot minutes in the post.

The offense for the Sun revolves around a pair of young All-Stars who began developing their chemistry together on campus in Storrs, Conn. Center Tina Charles and point guard Renee Montgomery played three seasons together for Geno Auriemma, winning the 2008-09 NCAA championship with more than a little help from UConn teammate Maya Moore. Charles has been an instant WNBA sensation, winning Rookie of the Year honors as last season's No. 1 overall pick. Montgomery, acquired from Minnesota in the same deal that allowed the Sun to take Charles, has taken a bit more time to take her WNBA footing, but now has to be considered one of the league's top young talents. Montgomery was selected to make her first All-Star appearance last month in San Antonio.

Charles and Montgomery are a classic inside-outside duo. A traditional post player who also has the ability to step outside on the perimeter, Charles is a nightly double-double threat. Her 10.6 rebounds per game lead the league, and Charles is also in the league's top 10 in both scoring (17.8 ppg, fifth) and shot blocking (1.4 bpg, sixth).

Montgomery is more scorer than distributor as a point guard. Part of her development this season has been finding more balance between the two roles. Montgomery in fact ranks fourth in the WNBA with 5.2 assists per game. Her 15.3 points a night place her third among point guards. Montgomery is most dangerous from beyond the arc, making nearly two triples a night at a 36.0 percent clip.

In the first meeting between these teams in Connecticut on July 1, it was Charles who did the most damage, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Her size is a major challenge for an undersized Storm frontline. Ashley Robinson played 21 minutes off the bench in that game, and now that she's in the starting lineup, she may see even more action to counter Charles. Because Charles likes to set up deep in the paint before using her hook shot, Robinson must battle for position early, forcing Charles off her favored spot on the block.

The loss to the Sun was typical of the Storm's first month of the season in terms of the team's poor outside shooting. The Storm made just three triples in 21 attempts, with Katie Smith shooting 1-of-7 and Sue Bird 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. More accurate perimeter marksmanship should help the Storm avoid falling into an early deficit as was the case in Connecticut.

KEY MATCHUP
Asjha Jones is the veteran presence in a young Connecticut starting lineup. She predates the other three UConn alumnae in the lineup (Charles, Montgomery and Kalana Greene) by seven seasons. Jones was part of the impressive 2002 senior class that also included Storm stars Bird and Swin Cash. She's the Sun's third-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game and loves to score from midrange. That presents an issue for slow-footed power forwards, but should not be a problem for the Storm's Camille Little.
LAST TIME

After trailing for the first 39 minutes, the Storm still had a chance to steal a win at Connecticut on July 1, but could not come up with the necessary shot to tie or take the lead late in the game. Down by as many as 19 at one point, the Storm rallied behind the energy provided by Cash, who was a perfect 12-of-12 at the free throw line and scored a game-high 25 points. Cash was instrumental in a 15-2 run to end the third quarter that made up much of the deficit.

Twice in the last minute, the Storm took over down two or three. Both times, Bird missed shots that could have tied the score. She felt her miss with 4.2 seconds left went off defender Jones, but referees disagreed and a pair of Greene free throws finished off the 75-70 win. Charles led the Sun with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Lawson scored 16 and Montgomery had 10 points and eight assists. Little and Le'coe Willingham scored 10 points apiece for the Storm, which shot 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) from three-point range.

INJURIES

Storm - Center Lauren Jackson (surgery, left hip labrum) is out.

Connecticut - None.

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