Comeback Bid Falls Short In Charlotte, 75-65

STAR OF THE GAME TAMIKA CATCHINGS Playing on an injured foot, Catchings had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. UNSUNG HERO TAN WHITE White had 13 points off the bench for Indiana, including three 3’s in the game. QUOTABLE BRIAN WINTERS On falling behind: “I don’t think they (Charlotte) did anything differently, but we just couldn’t score the ball and we settled for too many jump shots.” On coming back: “Playing zone helped us get back in the game. They (Charlotte) missed a few shots that allowed us to cut the score. But so many times when you come back from so far behind, it’s hard to get over the hump. Charlotte played better than we did, they deserved to win.” TAMIKA WHITMORE On falling behind: “We have never called ourselves a great offensive team. We are a defensive and rebounding team and we got away from that in the first half.” HIDDEN NUMBERS Points in the paint: Fever 16, Sting 28 Second-chance points: Fever 10, Sting 5 Fast-break points: Fever 4, Sting 13 Points off turnovers: Fever 8, Sting 10 Starters scoring: Fever 46, Sting 53 Bench scoring: Fever 19, Sting 22

GAME REPORT
	Sting 75, Fever 65
July 15, 2006 at Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Charlotte, NC) Box Score | WNBA Recap

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte Sting outscored the Fever 24-9 in the second quarter to break open what had been a close game en route to a 75-65 victory over Indiana Saturday night at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

The win was the second for the Sting (4-16) in three meetings with the Fever this year, as Charlotte took the season series over Indiana 2-1. With the loss, Indiana (13-8) failed to capitalize on the East-leading Connecticut Sun's loss earlier in the day. A win over Charlotte would have gained Indiana a full game in the East standings.

Tamika Catchings and Tamika Whitmore each had 17 points for the Fever. Catchings added seven rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots despite nursing a foot injury that kept her out of Wednesday’s All-Star game. Reserve guard Tan White contributed 13 points, including three 3’s, off the bench for Indiana.

Tangela Smith led all Sting scorers with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Tammy Sutton-Brown followed with 13 points, while Kelly Mazzante added 10, including a pair of 3’s, off the bench for Charlotte.

Trailing 21-19 early in the second quarter, Smith hit the first of her three 3’s in the game to give Charlotte a one-point advantage. The Sting used a 10-1 run to extend its lead to 29-22 with just over five minutes left in the first half.

The Sting would continue its second quarter surge, outscoring the Fever 10-2 to close out the half before taking a fifteen-point lead, 39-24, into intermission. White had 14 points in the first half for Charlotte on 5-of-9 shooting as the Sting enjoyed its largest lead in any game this season.

Indiana was outscored 24-9 in the second quarter and shot just 27.3 percent from the field (9-33) in the first half.

Charlotte outscored Indiana 8-2 to open the third quarter as the Sting's lead swelled to over 20 points. Helen Darling’s jumper gave the Sting its largest lead of the game at 47-26. Indiana, though, fought back sparked by a pair of 3’s from White to trim Charlotte’s lead to fourteen heading into the fourth quarter.

Indiana outscored Charlotte 13-3 to open the fourth quarter in slicing what had been a 21-point second half deficit down to just a four. Anna DeForge converted a 3-point play before rookie La’Tangela Atkinson and DeForge netted back-to-back 3’s. Following a pair of free throws from Whitmore, White’s break-away lay-up then made the score 58-54, Charlotte, with seven minutes left in regulation.

The Sting responded with a 5-0 run on a jumper from Sheri Sam and 3-point play by Smith. Sutton-Brown’s free throws moments later extended Charlotte’s lead back to double-digits at 68-58.