By Chris Bubeck
June 8, 2007: Scoreboard |
Video Play of the Day | Photo Gallery | Today in the WNBA Archive
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NBA star Tracy McGrady and his daughter Layla watch the Comets and Sun on Friday in Houston.
Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images
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Still the Beast of the East
Shock Win Battle of Unbeatens:
The Shock entering Friday's game in New York undefeated at 4-0 was not that big a surprise. Detroit won the WNBA title last season and brings back most of the key contributors from that club. The fact that the Liberty also brought an unblemished mark (5-0) into Friday's clash was a bit of a surprise. New York, which went 11-23 last season and traded team leader Becky Hammon to San Antonio on a draft-day trade, was not expected to get off to such a hot start. The Liberty looked up to the challenge early on Friday as they built a seven-point lead after a quarter, but it didn't last long. The Shock asserted themselves in the second quarter to take a six-point lead into the half and rolled the rest of the way for a 67-57 road victory. It was the usual suspects leading the way for Detroit as Deanna Nolan, Swin Cash, Plenette Pierson and Cheryl Ford all scored in double figures.
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ALSO MAKING HEADLINES ... |
Two Left Searching:
There is only one undefeated team left after Friday's action, but two teams are still looking for their first wins of the season. The Mystics nearly notched their initial win as they rallied from 18 down to knot the Fever at 60-60 with 3:45 to go in the fourth. Alana Beard scored 23 points to pace Washington, which fell to 0-7 after Friday's 74-69 setback. The Comets were also unlucky in their pursuit of their first win of the campaign, despite a 16-point halftime lead. Michelle Snow and Tina Thompson combined for 41 points in an 88-77 loss to the Sun.
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“We are the best team, and we can only beat ourselves. We don’t give ourselves enough chances to score by turning the ball over. I think getting the ball inside tonight opened things up on the outside.”
-- Shock guard/forward Deanna Nolan, after Friday's 67-57 victory over the Liberty in a matchup of teams that entered unbeaten.
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Seimone Augustus, Lynx
28 pts, 11-12 FG, 2-3 3-pt FG in
90-87 loss at Sparks
Swin Cash, Shock
14 pts, 6-8 FG, 2-2 FT in
67-57 win at Liberty
Nykesha Sales, Sun
26 pts, 9-16 FG, 2-5 3-pt FG in
88-77 win at Comets
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Ashley Battle, Liberty
3 pts, 1-9 FG in
67-57 loss vs. Shock
Katie Smith, Shock
3 pts, 0-7 FG, 0-5 3-pt FG in
67-57 win at Liberty
DeLisha Milton-Jones, Mystics
6 pts, 3-14 FG, in
74-69 loss vs. Fever
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Saturday's Games ...
Sky at Silver Stars: 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Mercury at Monarchs: 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Lynx at Storm: 10 p.m. ET
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The Liberty and Shock both entered Friday unbeaten, but the Fever are quietly getting off to a very hot start themselves and Tamika Catchings is playing a major role in the quick start. The 6-foot-1 forward was at it again on Friday as she tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and an assist in a 74-69 triumph at Washington to help Indiana improve to 6-1 on the season so far.
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Seimone Augustus did just about everything she possibly could for the Lynx in Friday's fourth quarter. The defending Rookie of the Year poured in 16 of her team's 23 points in the final period, including a 3-pointer and a free throw in the final two minutes to pull Minnesota within a point of the host Sparks. She connected on her first 11 shots from the floor en route to a game-high 28 points. So, with her team trailing by three and under 10 seconds to play, there was little doubt who was going to get the shot. But her 3-point attempt with 1.9 seconds to play fell short and the Sparks held on for a 90-87 win in their first home game of the season.
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