Insider Preview - Storm vs. Sacramento

A year ago yesterday, the Monarchs bottomed out at 8-11with a loss to the Storm at ARCO Arena. With seven losses in the last 10 games, Sacramento looked like it would be unable to extend the longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances in the Western Conference. Instead, the loss - and a lengthy postgame meeting - proved a turning point. The Monarchs reeled off seven straight wins before the Storm bookended the streak with another win over Sacramento. Ultimately, the Monarchs would claim the fourth and final playoff spot in the West, pushing the San Antonio Silver Stars to overtime in Game 3 of their series before finally being eliminated.

In the past, Sacramento was hit hard by late arrivals from overseas, one reason the Monarchs started slowly before coalescing. With the start of the season pushed back, everybody was in camp this year, but Sacramento did not get forward Rebekkah Brunson and guard Kara Lawson back in practice from offseason surgery until the final week before the opener. Just as the Monarchs were working them back into the lineup, starting point guard Ticha Penicheiro sprained her right thumb in the second game of a home-and-home back-to-back series against the Seattle Storm to open the year.

Besides her value as a passer and defender, Penicheiro's absence was especially problematic because she is the only true point guard on the roster. Lawson has taken over backup duties and was thrust into the starting role while still dealing with her own injury, while Sacramento was forced to play shooting guards at the point to fill in behind Lawson. The makeshift lineup handed the Phoenix Mercury their first loss of the season, then dropped the next three games as well as Penicheiro's return in a reserve role.

Adding to the poor timing was a season-long five-game road trip, the first three games against 2008 playoff teams. The Monarchs lost the first four of those games to extend their losing streak to six before winning the finale at Minnesota. Returning home, Sacramento then got a second straight win against Chicago on Tuesday.

The biggest long-term concern for the Monarchs is a defense that no longer packs the punch it did during their consecutive trips to the WNBA Finals, which resulted in the 2005 championship. Back then, Sacramento prided itself on its "white-line defense." The Monarchs still put the same emphasis on D, but with anchor Yolanda Griffith leaving as a free agent and being replaced by a number of young players, Sacramento no longer forces turnovers at the same rate and is more vulnerable to scoring in the paint.

The Monarchs remain the league's strongest team on the glass, especially dominating the offensive boards. Sacramento has rebounded 41.2 percent of its own misses, which would surpass the team's own WNBA record (38.6 percent, set in 2007). Seven Monarchs average at least one offensive rebound a game. Unfortunately, Sacramento has had a lot of available offensive rebounds. The Monarchs are shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 11th out of 13 teams, and just 40.8 percent from inside the arc.

One typical trademark of a Sacramento squad is depth. Monarchs Head Coach Jenny Boucek (an assistant in Seattle from 2003-05, including during the championship season) has used a 10-player rotation, with 10 averaging at least 13 minutes a night. Nicole Powell is the only player averaging more than 25 minutes. Sacramento believes that using so many players allows them to provide the defensive intensity required by the white-line defense.

The Storm returned home Tuesday and delivered the best defensive performance of the season in a 66-53 win over San Antonio, holding the Silver Stars to 19 second-half points and 14.3 percent shooting after the break. That defensive outing, as well as a double-double from Swin Cash and strong contributions off the bench from Shannon Johnson, allowed the Storm to overcome a 1-of-11 shooting performance from Lauren Jackson that is sure not to be repeated any time soon.

The Storm and Monarchs became very familiar with each other during the months of May and June, playing an exhibition game, scrimmaging each other in Las Vegas and then starting the season with two head-to-head matchups. The Storm ended up getting the better of those matchups, and has a chance to win the season series with a victory tonight.

KEY MATCHUP
	In addition to leading her team in minutes, Powell is also Sacramento's lone double-figure scorer, averaging a career-high 15.2 points per game. Her 28 makes from beyond the three-point line rank second in the league, and staying with Powell all night long is imperative for the Storm defense. She got free for a pair of triples and 14 points the last time these teams squared off. At that point, Cash was still coming off the bench as she returned from back surgery. Cash had eight points and five rebounds in that role to help spark the Storm. Her 19-point, 12-rebound double-double on Tuesday against San Antonio might have been Cash's best performance in a Storm uniform to date.

The Storm hosted Sacramento on Opening Night June 7, completing a home-and-home back-to-back between the two teams. The Storm jumped off to a 17-4 start behind a sold-out KeyArena crowd, then rode that strong start to a comfortable 80-70 victory. Jackson led the way with 21 points, while Sue Bird had 15 points and eight assists. The Storm also got balanced contributions from the bench, which combined for 21 points.

INJURIES

Storm - Forward Ashley Walker (right big toe) is out.

Sacramento - None.