WEEKLY LEADERS
POINTS Jackson - 16.7 Lennox - 13.3 Bird - 11.0 Sam - 6.3 Bevilaqua/ Vodichkova - 5.7 REBOUNDS Edwards - 7.0 Jackson - 5.7 Lennox - 4.7 Vodichkova - 4.7 Bird/Sam - 3.3 ASSISTS Bird - 4.0 Sam - 3.3 Vodichkova - 2.3
storm.wnba.com PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Tully Bevilaqua 5.7 ppg, 1.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.3 rpg, 4-8 fgs, 7-8 free throws, 2-3 threes It was a tough July for Bevilaqua, who struggled to maintain the momentum she had during training camp and the start of the season. Entering last week, Bevilaqua had totaled seven points and five assists during 90 minutes over 10 July games. She started turning things around at Houston, where she scored five points, all from the free-throw line, and quietly played well at Minnesota. Bevilaqua made it clear her slump was over Sunday at KeyArena, scoring a season-high 10 points and hitting two three-pointers against the Charlotte Sting. For the week, Bevilaqua played 40 minutes of turnover-free basketball and scored 17 points on just eight shot attempts, handing out five assists and picking up five steals.

Jul. 26-Aug. 1
Record for the week: 2-1
Overall Record: 17-8
Standing: 2nd, Western Conference

Tuesday, Jul. 27, 2004

Storm 22 33 55 at Houston 32 48 80

After the Storm pulled out a 67-63 win over the Houston Comets in Seattle last Saturday, the teams traveled to Houston to complete the home-and-home set. The Storm got off to a fast start, leading 9-1 five minutes into the game after a Sue Bird three-pointer. Houston dominated the rest of the low-scoring half, using a 13-0 run to quickly retake the lead and a 14-4 run to end the half to turn a tie game into a double-digit Comets lead. The lead was still a surmountable 13 points with 14:07 left on the clock, but Houston scored the next seven points and went on a 13-2 run to take a lead of 20-plus points and effectively end any chance of a Storm comeback. Storm Coach Anne Donovan sent in her bench with more than 10 minutes left to play, meaning the only drama remaining was whether rookie Trina Frierson, who made her WNBA debut, would score (she did not). The Storm lost by double-digits for the first time in 2004, by 20 points for the first time since drafting Bird and suffered its worst loss since the end of the inaugural 2000 season. WNBA Player of the Week Tina Thompson led Houston with 22 points and helped hold Lauren Jackson to 14 points on 6-for-15 shooting. No other Storm player scored double-figures. The Comets dominated the boards, outrebounding Seattle 39-27 and pulling down 15 offensive boards.

Friday, Jul. 30, 2004

Storm 30 40 70 at Minnesota 26 29 55

Friday, the Storm traveled to Minnesota hoping to put the 25-point loss in the rear-view mirror. The Storm got a break when the Lynx's leading scorer, Olympian Katie Smith, was placed on the injured list earlier in the week with a knee injury. Even without Smith, the Lynx hung tough in the first half, and the Storm had to score the last six points of the half to take a lead to halftime. After Jackson scored to start the second half, Helen Darling answered with a three. And that was about it for the Lynx. The Storm went on a 9-2 run and quickly pushed the lead to 16 points. To their credit, Minnesota's reserves kept fighting and did a good job defending the Storm, but, in Smith's absence, the Lynx simply couldn't put enough points on the board. Seattle cruised to a 70-55 victory, winning the season series against Minnesota with a pair of wins and just one game remaining. Betty Lennox's 23-point effort helped make up for an off night for Jackson, who scored a season-low 11 points. Backup center Vanessa Hayden (12 points, six boards) was the only Lynx player to score double-figures.

Sunday, Aug. 1, 2004

Charlotte 26 29 55 at Storm 46 41 87

The Storm closed the pre-Olympics Break portion of its schedule at home against the Charlotte Sting in the team's only game during the month of August. With the Storm taking an early 8-3 lead, it looked like they might never be challenged, but Charlotte kept things close and trailed 29-25 at the five-minute mark. A dazzling Bird-to-Jackson combo for a layup by the latter sparked the Storm on a 13-0 run, and Seattle outscored Charlotte 17-1 the remainder of the half to take a 20-point lead to intermission. The Storm stayed hot in the second half and never allowed the Sting to entertain thoughts of a comeback, pushing the lead as large as 36 points before wrapping up an 87-55 blowout win. Jackson led the way with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Bird added 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and no turnovers. For the third straight game, the losing team scored 55 points and had only one player (rookie Nicole Powell) score double-figures.

Weekly Happenings

Sue Bird gets up to block Dawn Staley's shot on Sunday. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

Break Time
After Sunday's Storm game, the WNBA officially began its August break to allow players and coaches to participate in this summer's Olympics. Bird and Jackson will be competing in the Olympics for Team USA and Australia, respectively, while Coach Anne Donovan is an assistant for Team USA. Jackson has already returned home, while Bird and Donovan will fly to New York Tuesday to begin practicing with Team USA. That stay in New York will include " WNBA vs. USA Basketball: The Game at Radio City", with Team USA taking on a team of WNBA All-Stars on Thursday night on ESPN at 4:00 p.m. Pacific.

Preliminary-round Olympic games will begin on Aug. 14, with the medal round beginning Aug. 25 and the gold medal game scheduled for Aug. 28. Australia's Opals and Team USA are two of the favorites to meet up in that game, so stay tuned as storm.wnba.com follows the exploits of both squads throughout the month of August.

As for everybody else, the Storm's non-Olympians will get a chance to return home. On Aug. 10, Lennox, Trina Frierson and Alicia Thompson will return to begin making appearances in the community. The rest of the roster will be back a week later, and practices under assistant coaches Jenny Boucek and Jessie Kenlaw will begin on Aug. 18. The Storm returns to the court Wednesday, Sep. 1 against Sacramento at KeyArena.

Storm Wins Big Again
Days after suffering their worst defeat since the end of their inaugural 2000 season, the Storm turned around and did the same to Charlotte. The Sting's 32-point loss was its worst since June 22, 2000 and tied for the second-worst loss in franchise history. On the Storm side, not only was the margin of victory a season high, the Storm won by 30 or more points for the fourth time in franchise history. Here's the complete list of wins by 25 points or more, including three times this season:

Margin Opponent Date 41 Phoenix 7/19/02 40 San Antonio 6/22/03 36 Los Angeles 8/6/03 30 Charlotte 8/1/04 29 Phoenix 7/25/03 27 Indiana 6/10/03 27 Phoenix 6/3/04 26 Los Angeles 5/22/04 26 Sacramento 6/23/02

Storm Efficient as Ever
Not only was the Storm's victory its largest this season, its performance on offense was also the best in terms of points per possession in the WNBA this season and far and away the best effort by the league's most efficient offense this season. The Storm shot just 44.1% from the field, but attempted 22 free throws, made a season-high 11 three-pointers, committed just seven turnovers and also had 18 offensive rebounds. Add it up and the Storm had just 63 possessions, scoring 87 points on them for 1.38 points per possession. Here are the five most efficient performances in the WNBA this season:

OER Team Opponent Date Points Pos. 1.38 Seattle Charlotte 8/1/04 87 63 1.30 Los Angeles Charlotte 6/9/04 82 63 1.28 Houston Detroit 7/15/04 97 76 1.25 Detroit @ Sacramento 6/19/04 84 67 1.24 Phoenix San Antonio 7/21/04 87 70

Injury Report