Big Lead Vanishes Quickly For Fever In Charlotte

STAR OF THE GAME EBONY HOFFMAN Hoffman scored in double figures for the fourth consecutive game with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. She also added five rebounds and two assists in the game. UNSUNG HERO ANNA DEFORGE DeForge had 14 points in the game and added a team-high seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end. She had ten points and six rebounds in the first half alone. QUOTABLE BRIAN WINTERS In general: “We got off to the big lead and we let [Charlotte] back into it. That killed us. They outplayed us in a number of areas, particularly on the boards.” TAMIKA CATCHINGS In general: “[Charlotte] came out and attacked our posts. It’s one thing when they score two points, but those three-point plays were huge for them. The ‘and-ones’ killed us. They also hurt us on the boards.” HIDDEN NUMBERS Points in the paint: Fever 26, Sting 34 Second-chance points: Fever 9, Sting 13 Fast-break points: Fever 14, Sting 2 Points off turnovers: Fever 15, Sting 19 Starters scoring: Fever 51, Sting 58 Bench scoring: Fever 8, Sting 12

GAME REPORT
	Sting 70, Fever 59
June 9, 2006 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Charlotte, NC) Box Score | WNBA Recap

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte Sting used an 11-2 run midway through the fourth quarter to break open what had been a close game before coming away with a 70-59 decision over the Fever at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena Friday night.

Indiana’s Ebony Hoffman finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added five rebounds for the Fever, which has lost three out of its last four games after starting the season 4-0. It was Hoffman's fourth consecutive game in double figures. Anna DeForge also had 14 and pulled down a season-high seven rebounds, with four coming offensively. Her four offensive rebounds was a career-high. Though quiet offensively, Tamika Catchings had a season-high five steals.

Charlotte’s Tammy Sutton-Brown finished with a season-high 18 points to lead all scorers in the game. Tangela Smith followed Sutton-Brown with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Indiana dominated Charlotte early in the first quarter, thanks in large part to some poor shooting by the Sting. The Fever sprinted out to a 15-1 lead after the Sting missed its first 10 shots of the game. Charlotte didn’t break the scoring column until Sutton-Brown hit a free throw at the 5:14 mark of the opening period, and didn’t make a field goal for the game’s first eight minutes. The Sting, though, would wake up late in the quarter, scoring eight points in the final two minutes.

Trailing 21-9 in the opening minute of the second quarter, the Sting would score a quick seven points in just 17 seconds to cut the Fever’s lead down to five. Charlotte’s scoring binge would extend to ten unanswered before Tamika Whitmore netted a jumper for Indiana.

The Fever scored the first bucket of the game and didn’t trail in the first half until Charlotte’s Sheri Sam dropped a jumper with ten seconds left in the half, giving the Sting its first lead of the game at 29-27. Charlotte outscored Indiana 20-8 in the second quarter, with Indiana making just two of its 15 second quarter field goal attempts. On the flip side, after struggling in the first quarter, the Sting warmed up in the second stanza shooting 8-of-14 from the floor.

The third quarter saw a string of runs by each team. After Charlotte extended its lead to five early in the period on a Monique Currie 3-pointer, the Fever answered with a 7-2 run, capped off by a bucket from DeForge to tie the game at 36. The Sting once again took control of the game, outscoring the Fever 9-2 to take its biggest lead in the first three quarters, 45-38. The Fever then scored six of the game's next eight points to trail by just one after three.

The Fever took its first lead of the second half at 50-49 on a La’Tangela Atkinson break-away lay-up with 9:07 left in the game. Moments later, a Whitmore 3-pointer would give Indiana a four point lead, its largest since early in the second quarter. Charlotte, though, would go on to outscore Indiana 19-4 the rest of the way to earn its second win of the season and snap a four-game losing streak versus Indiana.