By Mike Slane
June 5, 2007: Scoreboard |
Video Play of the Day | Photo Gallery | Today in the WNBA Archive
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San Antonio's Becky Hammon, the league's fourth leading scorer, was held to nine points on 2-of-7 shooting in Tuesday's 74-57 loss in Sacramento.
Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images
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Liberty Win Battle of Unbeatens
Liberty Improve to 5-0:
Coming off a franchise-worst 11-23 season, the New York Liberty are two consecutive wins away from matching their best start in franchise history. And they're doing it without a superstar. On Tuesday, the Liberty, who traded All-Star Becky Hammon during the offseason, used another balanced offensive attack to win the first ever meeting between two undefeated teams with at least three wins with a 78-67 home victory over the Indiana Fever to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1997. Loree Moore, Ashley Battle and Cathrine Kraayeveld scored 15 points apiece for New York, which shot a season-high 62 percent from the field. "The big point about our team is anybody can step on this floor," Kraayeveld said. "There's no real pressure on any one person.'' Tamika Catchings led Indiana, which fell to 4-1 after winning its first four games for the second straight season, with 21 points and nine assists.
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ALSO MAKING HEADLINES ... |
Minnesota Snaps Losing Streak:
After averaging a WNBA-worst 69.6 points and 35.1 percent shooting as it opened the 2007 season with a franchise-worst seven straight losses, the Lynx are finally back on track. Led by Seimone Augustus' 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, Minnesota shot a season-best 47 percent from the floor and handed Phoenix its third consecutive loss with a 90-85 road win. The Mercury snapped a 10-game skid dating back to Aug. 8, 2006. Rookie Lindsey Harding finished with 20 points, while Nicole Ohlde added 19 points and 13 rebounds.
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"I think New York came out, and they were definitely on a mission. They played a 40-minute game. Our team goes through lapses where we play really well and then not so well. They are a very consistent team, and when they shoot that high of a percentage, it is very unlikely that they can be beaten.”
-- Fever forward Tamika Catchings, after dropping a 78-67 decision in New York on Tuesday night.
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Loree Moore, Liberty
15 pts, 6-8 FG, 3-3 3-pt FG in
78-67 win vs. Fever
Cathrine Kraayeveld, Liberty
20 pts, 6-8 FG, 2-3 3-pt FG, 6-6 FT in
78-67 win vs. Fever
Rebekkah Brunson, Monarchs
21 pts, 9-12 FG, 3-3 FT in
74-57 win at Silver Stars
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Tan White, Fever
4 pts, 2-11 FG in
78-67 loss at Liberty
Shameka Christon, Liberty
9 pts, 3-10 FG, 0-1 3-pt FG in
78-67 win vs. Fever
Chelsea Newton, Monarchs
0 pts, 0-7 FG, in
74-57 win vs. Silver Stars
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Wednesday's Games ...
Comets at Fever: 7 p.m. ET
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For a player whose status was questionable, Sacramento's Rebekkah Brunson didn't play too poorly on Tuesday night. Brunson, who missed Saturday's game with a sprained shoulder, returned to action after a one-game absence to register game highs with 21 points and nine rebounds to guide the Monarchs to a 76-57 triumph over the San Antonio Silver Stars. The fourth-year forward also had two steals and a block. The Monarchs played for the first time since losing leading-scorer DeMya Walker for the rest of the season with a patellar tendon tear.
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In a somewhat surprising draft day deal, the Phoenix Mercury sent the first overall pick to Minnesota for veteran forward Tangela Smith. The Lynx went on to select Lindsey Harding in hopes that the Duke standout would form one of the WNBA's best backcourts alongside 2006 Rookie of the Year Seimone Augustus. After a rocky start to the season, the pair showed their true potential on Tuesday by combining for 42 points and 11 boards as they notched their first win together with a 90-85 victory over the Mercury. Smith finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
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