WNBA, Sunday, June 17, 2012 capsules: the Sun win on the road, the Shock break through, the Storm halt the Lynx
Connecticut 75, Atlanta 73
The Connecticut Sun (8-2) continued their reign in the Eastern Conference with a 75-73 road win over the Atlanta Dream (4-6) Sunday afternoon. The Sun, on a 3-0 road game streak, took advantage of the absence of the Dream’s Angel McCoughtry who missed the game due to a sprained left knee. McCoughtry is the league’s leading scorer.
Tina Charles led the Sun with 23 points and a season-high 22 rebounds. Charles’ 22 rebounds were most by an Atlanta opponent this season. She grabbed 56.4 percent of Connecticut’s rebounds (22 of 39). The Sun never led until Charles’ two free throws with 3.1 seconds left broke a 73-73 tie.
“We definitely put ourselves in a hole,” said Charles. “The past few games we have been doing that. I think the key is just to stay poised and together out there. We just have to know that we can always win. Coach said after the game that a year ago we wouldn’t have won that game, so I’m really happy that we pulled through.”
Renee Montgomery had 19 points off the bench and teammate Kara Lawson had 11, her eighth straight game in double digits. Connecticut was perfect from the free throw line, making all 11 of its attempts.
Armintie Price was in double-digits for the Dream with a season-high 20 points. Sancho Lyttle contributed 15.
Tulsa 87, Phoenix 75
The Tulsa Shock (1-9) earned a win for the first time this season with a home victory over the Phoenix Mercury (2-7). The win snapped a 15-game losing streak going back to last season.
Tulsa head coach Gary Kloppenburg said getting the win was a “weight off your shoulders.”
“We had been playing so hard and we’ve had three or four games that we kind of gave away to teams at the end. It’s a monkey off your back. It’s a relief and now I feel like we’ve got that monkey off our back and let’s get prepared, get ourselves to learn how to win. That’s the big thing with this game, getting it off your back.”
Rookie Riquna Williams sparked the Shock’s victory with 15 fourth quarter points, the most points scored by a Shock player in a quarter this season. She finished with 19 points, tying her season-high. Point guard Temeka Johnson had a season-high 22 points.
The Shock’s Scholanda Dorrell left the game with a knee contusion with 33.4 seconds left in the second quarter and did not return. The Shock waived guard Jené Morris after the game. The Mercury’s Candice Dupree also left the game with a knee injury late in the first quarter. She did not return.
DeWanna Bonner led the Mercury with 24 points and Chardé Houston contributed 22.
The Mercury are on a three-game losing streak. The Shock outscored the Mercury 52-37 in the second half.
Seattle 65, Minnesota 62
The Seattle Storm (3-7) regained their KeyArena mojo to shock the previously undefeated Minnesota Lynx (10-1) Sunday night with a 65-62 victory.
The Storm’s veterans did most of heavy lifting as Sue Bird led her team with 21 points, Tanisha Wright had 12 points plus eight assists and Tina Thompson finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
The Storm led by as much as 17 points. The Lynx’s rally to get back into the game was not enough. Thompson scored the last points of the game and the Storm prevailed.
Maya Moore led her team 14 points and Seimone Augustus contributed 12.
