Shock-Fever Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Jul 07 2010 1:32PM

Once rivals for Eastern Conference supremacy, the Indiana Fever and the Tulsa Shock are now in opposite conferences heading in completely different directions.

The Fever look for a sixth win in eight games Thursday night when they host Tulsa, which knocked off Indiana earlier this season but is now hoping to avoid an 11th consecutive loss.

The Fever (10-6) and Shock (3-13) have met in the East playoffs the past four seasons, with the winner going on to represent the conference in the WNBA finals.

Indiana knocked off Detroit in three games in last year's conference finals and again is looking like a title contender, but the Shock's move to Tulsa - and the West - has been anything but a smooth transition. A 69-54 loss to Washington on Saturday was their 10th straight, with all but one coming by double digits.

Tulsa led the Mystics 15-14 after one quarter before tying a WNBA-record low with four points in the second.

"You don't even have to shoot and you can get four points. It was a difficult night for us field goal-wise, and a very difficult night on the boards," coach Nolan Richardson said after his team was outrebounded 45-26.

The Shock still have a few losses to go to catch the franchise's longest losing streak - 13 straight in 2002. The league record is 17, set by Atlanta in 2008.

Ivory Latta was a member of the expansion Dream that season, but Tulsa is now hoping she can help it snap this skid. The Shock signed the guard, originally drafted by Detroit, on Tuesday after releasing rookie Natasha Lacy.

Latta originally joined Tulsa on May 7 but was released before the regular season began.

The Fever lost 79-74 at Tulsa on May 29 to fall to 2-3, but they've since won eight of 11. Tamika Catchings scored a team-high 16 points in a 58-51 victory at Chicago on Tuesday.

Sky center Sylvia Fowles scored 26 points but was held to two in the fourth quarter.

"We made some adjustments down the stretch and didn't let Sylvia score," Dunn said. "She was really hurting us ... In crunch time our goal was to make somebody else score because she was hurting us so much.''

Stopping Amber Holt could be the key for Indiana in this matchup. Holt had a game-high 16 points in Tulsa's earlier win over the Fever, and she's averaged 13.7 in her team's three victories - as opposed to 8.8 in its losses.

Indiana has won six in a row at home.

Catchings scores 24 as Fever rout Shock 100-72

Posted Jul 08 2010 9:28PM

INDIANAPOLIS(AP) Tamika Catchings scored 24 points to lead the Indiana Fever to a 100-72 victory over the Tulsa Shock on Thursday night.

Katie Douglas had 17 points and Shavonte Zellous scored 16 for the Fever (11-6), who won their seventh straight home game to move within two games of Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta (14-5). Washington (12-5) is one game back of the Dream.

Indiana's point total was the second-highest in franchise history, behind the 103 it scored against Phoenix in September 2008. The Fever's bench set a franchise record with 50 points.

Amber Holt had 18 points, Jennifer Lacy scored 12 and Chante Black grabbed 12 rebounds for the Shock (3-14), who lost their 11th straight game.

The Fever extended a 21-18 first-quarter lead to as much as 22 points in the second. Catchings' 3-pointer gave Indiana a 56-34 advantage to end the first half and capped a franchise-best 35-point quarter. It was the third-highest point total for a half in franchise history.

Indiana shot 58 percent from the field in the first half, compared to Tulsa's 31 percent. Catchings' 18 points and Briann January's 11 led the Fever.

The Fever extended the lead to 79-44 late in the third quarter, and the Shock didn't get any closer than 28 in the final period.

• Shock: --
• Fever: --

• Shock: --
• Fever: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #38 Lamont Simpson, #31 Amy Bonner, #45 Tom Mauer
• Attendance: 7077
• Duration: 1:54