HOUSTON, June 14 (AP) - Tina Thompson scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Houston Comets to a 68-60 win over the Seattle Storm on Saturday night in Sheryl Swoopes' return to Houston.

Shannon Johnson added 12 points, and Michelle Snow grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds for the Comets (2-7), who outrebounded Seattle 46-30.

Lauren Jackson led the way for Seattle (7-5) with 18 points. Tanisha Wright added 14 points for the Storm, who were without Yolanda Griffith because of left knee and ankle injuries.

Playing in her first game in Houston since leaving as a free agent in the offseason, Swoopes made just three of her 10 shots and scored eight points for the Storm, who have lost five straight road games.

Hamchetou Maiga-Ba added nine points and Mwadi Mabika had seven for the Comets.

Sue Bird made a driving layup with 1:40 to go to get the Storm within 59-55, but Thompson answered with an off-balance 3-pointer as the shot clock expired.

Houston then made six of its final seven free throws in the last 27 seconds to seal the win.

Seattle held Houston to just 13 points in the second quarter and pulled to within 27-25 with less than a minute to go in the half when Swoopes made a pair of free throws. But the Comets took a four-point lead into the break as Sancho Lyttle made a layup just before the buzzer.

Houston started the third quarter with a 12-5 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 41-30 before the Storm rallied with a 7-0 run of its own.