Live From Press Row - Storm vs. Connecticut
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Connecticut Takes It
Final: Connecticut 92, Storm 83
The Storm couldn't get the break needed in the last couple of minutes, and a Katie Douglas 3 that pushed the lead back to 10 points essentially sealed the deal. Connecticut finishes with 92 points, a season high and the most allowed by the Storm this season. Douglas, who had a nightmare Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at KeyArena (she shot 0-for-11 in that game) has officially excercised those demons, scoring 26 points and dropping four 3-pointers in nine attempts. Four other players added double-figures. On the Storm side, Lauren Jackson had 20 points and 11 boards, Janell Burse had 10 and 13 and the backcourt scored 16 points apiece, but the team shot just 42.1% after a strong start. Connecticut showed over the final three quarters why it is the best defensive team in the WNBA.
The Storm wraps up this homestand on Tuesday, when the Sacramento Monarchs visit at High Noon for Kid's Day. 
Get your tickets now!
Storm Making a Push
Fourth Quarter: Connecticut 82, Storm 76
A 12-4 run has the Storm back within six with 2:52 left, though Connecticut's Margo Dydek is headed to the free-throw line. The Storm has fatigue working to its advantage. Not only is this the second game of a back-to-back for the Sun, but Mike Thibault has gone hard to his starters in the second half, using only one substitute the entire half (Erin Phillips behind Lindsay Whalen). Katie Douglas, Asjha Jones, Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Margo Dydek have played the entire second half. Fatigue may be setting in just a little bit. The Storm has gotten Lauren Jackson going, and she's got 20 points (on 7-for-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds.
Celebrating the Reign on a Sunny Day
Fourth Quarter: Connecticut 78, Storm 64
Before tonight's game, the Storm held a function in the MGD Corner celebrating the 10th Anniversary of women's basketball in Seattle with the ABL's Seattle Reign. Storm COO Karen Bryant, who was general manager of the Reign, was joined by players Kate Starbird, Tara Davis and Rhonda (Smith) Banchero, as all spoke to the crowd. Before that formal presentation, about a hundred Reign fans gathered to recall their memories of the team and show off Reign gear (one fan, sitting underneath the basket during the game, came in full Starbird jersey). It was a fun chance to remember a team that helped pave the way for the Storm's success. Kudos to Matthew Johnson of the Sonics and Storm for putting it together (with more than a little help from KB, naturally).
Sun Dominates Third Quarter
End Third Quarter: Connecticut 72, Storm 60
All Connecticut during the third quarter. The Sun outscored the Storm 28-10, shooting 12-for-17 from the field (70.5%) to the Storm's 4-for-14 (28.6%). All of a sudden, the Storm (11) has more turnovers than Connecticut (eight). This is a very good Connecticut team (the Sun has outscored opponents by an average of 7.3 points per game; the Storm is second in the league at +4.0) that is exerting its will on this game right now. From the Storm perspective, you'd love to see more looks in the paint for Lauren Jackson, who has just three points and no field goals since the first quarter.
Connecticut Taking Control
Third Quarter: Connecticut 57, Storm 53
There are times where you watch the Connecticut Sun and you wonder how the Sun ever loses a game. This is one of those times. A 13-3 run out of the locker room has given Connecticut its first lead in the game, 57-53 at the moment. The Storm is 1-for-6 in the field in this half, while Connecticut is 5-for-6. The Sun has isolated on the matchup of Taj McWilliams-Franklin versus Lauren Jackson and McWilliams-Franklin has six early points.
Storm Halfway to Century Mark
Halftime: Storm 50, Connecticut 44
An even 50 points for the Storm at halftime. Seattle is shooting 47.4% from the field and is 11-for-12 from the free-throw line with eight offensive rebounds. What's interesting is that the way the Storm has scored in this game is very different from past matchups with Connecticut. Betty Lennox (four points) and Janell Burse (six points) have been quiet, but Lauren Jackson (14 points on 5-for-9 shooting) has been dominant and Sue Bird has shaken free for 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
On the Connecticut side, all the offense is coming from the backcourt. Katie Douglas (10) and Lindsay Whalen (13) are the two Sun players in double-figures. One surprise is that Asjha Jones has played more than half of this game at small forward, where she hasn't played regularly that I recall since she was with Washington in 2002. Jones has five points but has shot just 1-for-5 from the field; she doesn't stretch the floor as a three. Jamie Carey played a lot of minutes in three-guard lineups the first two games that Nykesha Sales missed, but she has yet to get off the bench tonight.
Game Of Runs
Second Quarter: Storm 45, Connecticut 39
13-5 Connecticut since Mike Thibault's last timeout. Remarkably, every single timeout in the game so far has been called by one of the coaches; we've yet to get a mandatory media timeout. Anne Donovan went to Ashley Robinson and Tiffani Johnson up front to buy some time for her frontcourt. While Ashley Robinson made a jumper, the Storm missed Lauren Jackson's offensive tenacity. The Storm also committed its first two turnovers of the game over the last couple of minutes.
Thibault is, incidentally, one of many coaches in this league who are a joy to watch on the sidelines. He's wearing a boot on his left foot because of a stress fracture, but when the media asked him whether that meant he stood up less during games, he said he tried to but the calls in the league meant he couldn't.
Pedal Down
Second Quarter: Storm 40, Connecticut 26
Just as Anne Donovan hoped before the game, the Storm is out and running tonight. Our key box score number thus far: 13 fast-break points for the Storm to zero for Connecticut. Tanisha Wright is really running the floor well and has six points to show for it. The downside is the Storm has already been whistled for four team fouls a little more than four minutes into the quarter. We could see a lot of Connecticut free throws.
Erin Phillips of the Sun is one of my favorite players to watch. She's just 5-7, but she doesn't know it, throwing her body around with reckless abandon. She and Lawson-Wade staged the most physical battle you're ever going to see between two point guards over the last four minutes.
I think Houston's Halley is the only mascot I've ever seen who wears the number 75. Why? Because Halley's Comet comes around once every 75 years, natch. That's subtle.
High-Scoring Quarter For Storm
End First Quarter: Storm 32, Connecticut 23
The Storm has found its zone-buster, and her name is Lauren Jackson. After a brief stretch on the bench, Jackson returned to hit three shots over the last three and a half minutes, including a 3-pointer. She leads all scorers with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting. The Storm's 32 first-quarter points tie the franchise record for points in a quarter. That's heady stuff considering that if you read Insider Preview today you know that Connecticut is the best defensive team in the WNBA.
Connecticut Responds
First Quarter: Storm 20, Connecticut 15
Apparently Mike Thibault found time to work in some strategy in that last timeout after all. He's shifted Connecticut into a zone which has caused the Storm to miss three of its last four shots. There's nobody better in the paint in a zone defense than 7-2 Sun center Margo Dydek. The Storm has struggled at times this season to move the ball effectively against a zone. A5 the other end, the Sun has stopped turning the ball over and Lindsay Whalen has caused all sorts of problems for Betty Lennox, who started out on her. Whalen has nine points on 3-for-4 shooting both from the field and from the line. Without the stops, the Storm has not been running as well.
Tuesday is Doppler's Birthday and mascots from around the league are already here to celebrate. In the house - Charlotte's Buggsy (the only WNBA mascot whose name rhymes with the team's coach); Houston's Halley; Sacramento's Minnesota; and yes, Connecticut's Blaze. Plenty of hijinks all night long, rest assured.
Storm Explodes Out of the Gates
First Quarter: Storm 18, Connecticut 7
Great start for the Storm, which has put up 18 points in less than four minutes thus far. All five Storm starters has scored as the team is shooting 8-for-12 from the field and has yet to commit a turnover while forcing four by Connecticut. A full-court press has been particularly effective for the Storm, though Lindsay Whalen has broken through for a pair of layups. Connecticut had 26 turnovers yesterday in Sacramento and has struggled off and on with turnovers all season, so this is a good strategy for the Storm. Anne Donovan wants to push the tempo with the Sun on the second of a back-to-back.
Mike Thibault has taken a full timeout for the Sun, ostensibly to quiet the Storm run but also because he wanted the chance to yell at referee Bonita Spence for a while.
Gortman's Season Finished
Pregame
Storm reserve wing Shaunzinski Gortman will miss the remainder of the 2006 season after tearing her right ACL late in Friday's win over the New York Liberty. Gortman was almost certain she had torn the ACL when she went down, having previously torn her left ACL while in college. An MRI on Saturday confirmed the tear.
"We were hoping that it wasn't (an ACL tear)," said Anne Donovan, "but the feeling that night was that it probably was."
Gortman will travel to Charlotte with the Storm, and may get a second opinion, as is routine. With no chance of returning this season, there's no urgency for Gortman to undergo surgery, and Donovan indicated Gortman would like to do some pre-rehab before the surgery, strengthening the muscles around the knee.
From the Storm's perspective, losing Gortman means not having the team's best perimeter defender and losing depth. With forward Wendy Palmer also out, the Storm is down to 10 players, and only nine for most practices because of Lauren Jackson's limitations. Fortunately, the Storm still has Barbara Turner and Iziane Castro Marques at the samall forward position.
"This really pushes Barb and Izi to step up," said Donovan.
Signing On
Pregame
It's been a long time since the Connecticut Sun and Seattle Storm have matched up at KeyArena in a game that could not be described as a classic. That was probably early in the 2004 season, when a rookie Lindsay Whalen missed the game with the flu. Since then, these teams have played two incredible barnburners in three games (all won by the Storm). In between? Oh, nothing but the clinching Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. The Sun comes to KeyArena to complete a back-to-back set after losing at Sacramento yesterday afternoon without All-Star forward Nykesha Sales, who will not play tonight. Still, Connecticut is atop the Eastern Conference at 14-6.
