Storm Tracker (Aug. 1-7)

WEEKLY LEADERS
POINTS Jackson - 19.5 Lennox - 12.0 Bird - 10.0 Batkovic - 8.5 Burse - 6.5 REBOUNDS Jackson - 8.0 Burse - 4.5 Batkovic - 2.5 Wright - 2.5 3 with - 2.0 ASSISTS Bird - 8.0 Wright - 2.0 Zara - 2.0
storm.wnba.com PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tanisha Wright 5.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 4-7 fgs, 1 to A busy week for the Storm's lone draft pick. Wright came off the bench to play 12 strong minutes late in Thursday's game in Indiana, scoring six points and handing out two assists. Two nights later, she made her first WNBA start on national television at Madison Square Garden and did not look rattled, scoring four points and pulling down four rebounds. "She's not a rookie anymore," said Storm Coach Anne Donovan. "She's a player who's had valuable experience."

August 1-7 Record for the week: 0-2 Overall Record: 14-12 Standing: 3rd, Western Conference

blank line
blank line
blank line
blank line
Kevin Pelton, storm.wnba.com

---

August 4, 2005 - Recap | Box | Quotes/Notes | Photo Gallery

Storm 24 44 68 at Indiana 34 44 78

The Storm took to the road for the first time in nearly three weeks to play at Indiana. Early on, the Fever rattled the Storm with defensive pressure, forcing turnovers on four of the Storm's first six possessions. Indiana went up 16-2, and the Storm never fully recovered. Seattle got within six at one point in the second half and eight a couple of times, but Indiana mostly cruised to a 78-68 victory. Lauren Jackson led the Storm with 14 points and nine rebounds, but shot 9-for-16 from the field. Tamika Catchings was brilliant for Indiana, scoring 24 points (on 9-of-11 shooting), grabbing nine boards, handing out six assists and recording seven steals.

August 6, 2005 - Recap | Box

Storm 32 35 67 at New York 44 35 79

The Storm moved on to take on the Liberty Saturday. This time, the Storm's offense was fine in the early going, but New York's was better. The Liberty scored on five of its first six possessions and did not cool until after halftime, heading into the break with a 12-point lead. The Storm's run came too late. Seattle got back within five in the final minutes, but New York - the WNBA's best team at the free-throw line - made its free throws for a 79-67 win. Jackson's 25 points carried the Storm, while Sue Bird (12 points, 10 assists) recorded her first double-double of the season. Ann Wauters' 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting led five New York players in double-figures.

Weekly Happenings

Suzy Batkovic scored double-figures in Indiana for the first time since July 3. Visit the new Photo Galleries page for more Storm photos. Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty

Lennox Injured
Already playing with tendinitis in her right (shooting) wrist, Betty Lennox tried not to use that wrist to break her fall when she went down against Indiana on Thursday. That put the brunt of the weight of her fall on her healthy left wrist, which Lennox injured.

After the game, Lennox returned to Seattle to see specialists about the wrist and did not play Saturday in New York. Pending further examination, she is sidelined indefinitely. Wright stepped up to replace Lennox in the starting lineup against the Liberty and will continue to do so as long as Lennox remains out of the lineup.

Storm Playoff Picture
Despite the two losses last week, the Storm remains in third place in the Western Conference, just a half-game back of the Houston Comets pending the two teams playing twice this week. Here's a look at how the playoff picture currently looks in the West, with tie-breakers running left to right (head-to-head vs. Storm, conference record, record vs. teams .500 or better):

Team         W   L   GB  Storm  Conf  500+  H/A  500+
-----------------------------------------------------
Sacramento  20   7    -   1-0   12-3   6-6  3/4   2/5
Houston     15  12  5.0   1-1    7-8   6-7  3/4   2/5
Seattle     14  12  5.5          7-7   5-6  4/4   4/4
Phoenix     12  13  7.0   1-1    9-6   3-10 6/3   6/3
LA          12  13  7.0   2-2    9-8   7-7  5/4   6/3
Minnesota   12  14  7.5   0-2    7-8   6-9  4/4   3/5

Around the Web

The Storm took on former teammate Tully Bevilaqua for the first time last week, and the Seattle Times' Jayda Evans reported on the reunion.

Mark Bergin of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer looks at Burse's development after the Storm center won Player of the Week honors.

The Week Ahead

Tue, Aug. 9 Houston Comets 7:00 p.m. KeyArena () KJR 950 AM Fri, Aug. 12 Minnesota Lynx 5:00 p.m. Target Center KJR 950 AM Sun, Aug. 14 Houston Comets 1:00 p.m. Toyota Center KJR 950 AM

Storm Tracker Archive