Player of the Game

Cheryl Ford Points:12 Rebounds:15 Blocks:1 Minutes:24

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 30 (Ticker) -- Rebekkah Brunson helped give the Detroit Shock quite a jolt.

Brunson came off the bench to score 18 points as the Sacramento Monarchs rebounded from a disappointing road trip with an impressive 94-61 rout of the Shock.

Yolanda Griffith scored all 13 of her points in the first half and Erin Buescher added 12 for the Monarchs (17-11), who were returning home following an 0-3 road trip. The trek included a 91-71 thrashing at Detroit on Wednesday.

The Monarchs turned the tables in this one, taking control of the game with a huge second quarter, when they outscored the Shock, 24-6, to build a 45-27 halftime lead.

Griffith scored nine points and Brunson six in the period to pace the Monarchs. Brunson made 7-of-9 shots in 23 minutes.

The Shock made just 2-of-16 shots and committed five of their 21 turnovers in the second quarter.

DeMya Walker added 11 points for the Monarchs, who extended their lead to 67-40 after three quarters. They led by as many as 37 points in the final period en route to their sixth straight home win.

Sacramento shot 48 percent (31-of-65) in remaining 5 1/2 games behind first-place Los Angeles in the Western Conference.

Deanna Nolan and Cheryl Ford scored 12 points apiece for Detroit (18-8), which shot just 28 percent (17-of-61) and fell 2 1/2 games behind first-place Connecticut in the East.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 26 (Ticker) -- Cheryl Ford and the Detroit Shock capitalized on their hot start.

Ford collected 24 points and 11 rebounds as the surging Shock posted a 91-71 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs.

Katie Smith scored 20 points and Deanna Nolan 14 for the Shock (17-7), who won for the fifth time in six contests to pull within 1 1/2 games of first-place Connecticut in the Eastern Conference.

After a tight first quarter ended with the Shock holding a one-point lead, they caught fire in second by making

Player of the Game

Cheryl Ford Points: 24 Rebounds: 11 FGM-A: 10-13 Minutes: 18

10-of-11 shots to build a 50-41 halftime lead.

Ford scored 14 points and Smith 12 in the opening half, when the Shock shot 63 percent (19-of-30). Detroit cooled down a bit in the second half and shot 56 percent (34-of-61) overall.

Ford made 10-of-13 shots and swiped six offensive rebounds to help the Shock to a 33-30 edge on the glass.

A 3-pointer by Nicole Powell with 5:02 left in third quarter pulled the Monarchs within 54-52. But Smith answered 32 seconds later with a shot from the arc to trigger a 12-3 surge that allowed the Shock to rebuild the lead to double digits.

Powell scored 14 points and Rebekkah Brunson added 13 for the Monarchs, who shot just 37 percent (26-of-70) in losing for the second time in their last nine games.