By Dan Savage
June 13, 2007: Scoreboard |
Video Play of the Day | Photo Gallery | Today in the WNBA Archive
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Rookie Katie Gearlds had a street named after her on Wednesday, but she didn't have her "way" against the Fever as she went 1-8 from the floor in the Storm's 90-62 defeat.
Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images
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Change of Fortune
Washington Notches First Victory:
With the Mercury clicking on all cylinders and the Mystics still in search of their first win, the outcome for Wednesday's matchup nearly seemed set in stone. However, the tides turned in Washington as Monique Currie erupted for a career-high 25 points and Alana Beard scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half to lift the Mystics to an 86-69 triumph over Phoenix, earning Tree Rollins his first victory as a WNBA coach. Washington also ended the second-worst start in WNBA history as it improved to 1-8 on the season. Diana Taurasi notched 28 points in the defeat.
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ALSO MAKING HEADLINES ... |
Sparks Still Sizzle Without Holdsclaw:
The Sparks may have still been in shock, heading into their matchup against the Comets, from the bombshell Chamique Holdsclaw dropped when she announced her sudden retirement on Monday. Yet, it did not stop Los Angeles from denying Houston its first win of the season. Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored the Sparks' final six points as they held off a late Comets rally for a 74-71 victory. McWilliams-Franklin finished with 20 and LaToya Thomas, who will have to fill the void left by Holdsclaw, added 16. "We will miss Chamique in many ways,” said Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper. "It won’t be easy, but we will go on without her.” Top-ranked rookie Marta Fernandez tallied 10 points and five assists.
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"In the game, I don't think we've ever seen Tree get so fiery. He was mad at us. He was mad, but his mad is really calm.''
-- Mystics' guard Alana Beard about head coach Tree Rollins after he obtained his first WNBA win in Wednesday's 86-69 victory over the Mercury.
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Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Sparks
20 pts, 7-11 FG, 6-6 FT in
74-71 win vs. Comets
Tan White, Fever
23 pts, 8-14 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG, 4-4 FT in
90-62 win vs. Storm
Seimone Augustus, Lynx
28 pts, 12-21 FG, 4-4 FT in
77-73 win vs. Sun
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Tangela Smith, Mercury
1 pt, 0-12 FG in
86-69 loss at Mystics
Betty Lennox, Storm
2 pts, 1-8 FG, 0-3 3-pt FG in
90-62 loss at Fever
Lindsay Whalen, Sun
10 pts, 4-14 FG, 0-4 3-pt FG in
77-73 loss at Lynx
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Friday's Games ...
Sparks at Mystics: 7 p.m. ET
Mercury at Fever: 7 p.m. ET
Sun at Shock: 7:30 p.m. ET
Liberty at Sky: 8:30 p.m. ET
Comets at Storm: 10 p.m. ET
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In her sixth season in the WNBA, Asjha Jones is becoming a force to be reckoned with. Jones is currently averaging over 18 points and seven rebounds per contest, both of which are well above her career averages (8.8 and four). She continued to make her case for the 2007 All-Star game as she notched 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks to help the Sun force overtime against the Lynx. However, Seimone Augustus scored six of her 28 points in the extra period to help Minnesota edge Connecticut, 77-73, on Wednesday.
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Wednesday's matchup between the Fever and Storm featured two of the league's top players in Lauren Jackson and Tamika Catchings, but it was Tan White who emerged as the star. White poured in 23 points off the bench as Indiana surged past Seattle, 90-62. The lopsided outcome on their home court was nothing new for the Fever. They have now won their past three home games by a combined 72 points. Catchings did her part as she tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds. She also became the 17th player in WNBA history to reach the 3,000 career-point plateau, when she drilled a trey with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter.
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