SACRAMENTO, Calif, Aug. 1 (Ticker) -- Yolanda Griffith continues to make her presence felt for the Sacramento Monarchs.

Griffith scored 19 points and Tangela Smith added 19 and 12 rebounds as the Monarchs blew a 15-point lead in the second half before rallying for an 80-71 victory over the Utah Starzz.

The Monarchs have won six straight games and improved to 8-2 since Griffith returned on July 11 after missing 15 games due to a bulging disc near her neck. She made just 7-of-20 shots and sank all five free-throw attempts.

Ruthie Bolton's jumper gave Sacramento the lead for good at 69-67 with 1:39 remaining. Utah center Margo Dydek made 1-of-2 at the line and Griffith responded with a three-point play with 67 seconds to go.

Utah's Marie Ferdinand made a layup before Smith answered with a basket. Smith added four free throws and Bolton, who scored 20 points to lead the Monarchs, added a pair to seal the victory.

Sacramento built a 37-24 halftime cushion and Lady Grooms opened the second half with a basket for a 15-point lead. Utah fought back and received inspired play from Dydek, who scored 11 points in a 14-2 run that cut the deficit to 43-41 with just under 14 minutes to go.

The Starzz took a 63-57 lead on a basket by Semeka Randall with 5 1/2 minutes left before Sacramento rallied. Griffith made two foul shots to trigger an 8-0 run that put the Monarchs ahead.

Dydek returned from a one-game suspension for exceeding the league's fragrant foul penalty points limit and collected 27 points and 11 rebounds. Adrienne Goodson netted 14 points for Utah, which missed a chance to clinch a playoff spot.