SEATTLE, Aug. 25 (Ticker) -- The Seattle Storm will open their defense of the WNBA crown with home-court advantage.

Janell Burse scored 17 points and Lauren Jackson added 14 as the Storm clinched the second seed in the Western Conference with a 76-63 win over the Sacramento Monarchs. Seattle (19-14) used a late 11-0 run to tie a franchise record with its eighth straight home win, matching a 2003 streak.

Sacramento, which already has clinched the top spot in the conference, fell one-half game behind Connecticut in the race for the best record in the league.

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Burse, who recorded her 500th career rebound in the win, shot 5-of-6 from the floor and kicked off the Storm's decisive run. After the Monarchs (24-9) closed to within 64-60 on three free throws by Nicole Powell with 5:36 left, Burse's layup started the surge.

Free throws by Iziane Castro Marques and Sue Bird made it 68-60 and Jackson buried her only 3-pointer to open up an 11-point advantage. Burse and Jackson added baskets to finish the outburst before Seattle emptied its bench.

Bird finished with 12 points and five assists for the Storm, who set a season high with 49 first-half points.

Powell paced Sacramento with 17 points but shot just 5-of-18 (28 percent), part of her club's 25-of-75 (33 percent) effort.