Monarchs clinch final spot in playoffs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Thanks to another strong effort at home, the Sacramento Monarchs can rest a lot easier on their upcoming two road games that conclude the regular season.

Nicole Powell scored 20 points to help the Monarchs clinch the final playoff berth in the Western Conference with a 77-74 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.

Despite the Storm missing three starters, the victory didn't come easily for the Monarchs, who had to score the game's final seven points to secure their sixth straight visit to the postseason, which starts next week with a home game, where they haven't been beaten in eight games.

"Playing on someone else's home court, you never know what could happen, so this relieves the pressure for us," Powell said.

Kara Lawson added 19 points and had two big free throws in the closing seconds to help the Monarchs (18-14) secure the victory and move within a game of Los Angeles for the third seed in the Conference.

Katie Gearlds made her first five 3-point attempts and scored 17 points for Seattle. Tanisha Wright also had 17 points, Yolanda Griffith scored 16 and Camille Little added 12.

Sue Bird, who averaged 21.8 points in the previous five games, was limited to six points, six assists and committed four of Seattle's 24 turnovers.

"We didn't want her (Bird) to get the ball back once she gave it up, so we played more aggressive off the ball," said Lawson, who played with Bird in the Olympics. "She has been playing world class since the Olympics, so we wanted to limit her touches."

Trailing 74-70, Sacramento hit seven straight free throws to rally for the win. Powell's two gave the Monarchs a 75-75 lead with 21.5 seconds left.

"I was just trying to get to the basket (after the steal) and make a play," Powell said. "I got the two free throws and was able to knock them down."

After two Seattle misses, Lawson grabbed the rebound and made two free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining to make the score 77-74.

Gearlds finally missed a long 3-pointer in the final seconds and Bird had a shot blocked as the Monarchs secured the win.

"In terms of this game, you could list a lot of things that we didn't do well," Bird said. "We turned the ball over a lot and they out-rebounded us. But we were in a very good position to win this game in the fourth quarter and we didn't execute."

The Storm (21-11) fell out of a first-place tie with San Antonio, which defeated New York to take over the top spot in the West. Both Seattle and the Silver Stars have two games remaining in the regular season.

The depleted Storm played without three injured starters, Lauren Jackson (ankle), Swin Cash (back) and Sheryl Swoopes (mild concussion).

"This is crazy, it's been a roller coaster from beginning to where we are right now," said Griffith, who had seven rebounds, five assists and five steals against her former teammates. "It really hurts when you have three starters out. But we still had this game, we had an opportunity and it didn't happen."

Led by the outside shooting of Gearlds and Wright, plus the inside play of Griffith, the Storm battled back from a 10-point halftime deficit to pull within 60-59 heading into the fourth quarter.

Sacramento scored 11 straight points late in the second quarter to build a 44-34 halftime lead. Despite foul problems, Lawson scored 11 points for the Monarchs. Wright had 11 points for Seattle.

WNBA suspends 10 players and Mahorn for skirmish

The WNBA punished so many players for their roles in this week’s skirmish that the league is staggering the suspensions by alphabetical order.

“None of us can recall an incident like this,” WNBA president Donna Orender said Thursday during a conference call.

The league suspended Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn and 10 players following the dustup between the Shock and the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.

Shock forward Plenette Pierson was suspended for four games, the harshest penalty, for initiating and escalating the altercation.

“In our opinion, Plenette was the aggressor,” said Renee Brown, the WNBA’s chief of basketball operations and player relations

Mahorn was suspended for two games, as were Shannon Bobbitt and Murriel Page of the Sparks, for the incident at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

“As a team, we’re incensed that Rick Mahorn was suspended,” Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from Houston, where the Shock were scheduled to play the Comets. “He was trying to be a peacemaker and now he’s being thrown under the bus.”

Brown said Mahorn only started off as a peacemaker before he shoved Sparks star Lisa Leslie.

“Then he took it a step too far,” she said. “When he pushed Lisa, it escalated the situation.”

Players suspended for one game included Detroit’s Kara Braxton, Tasha Humphrey, Elaine Powell and Sheri Sam, along with Los Angeles’ Leslie, Candace Parker and DeLisha Milton-Jones.

Pierson was also fined $1,500 and Mahorn was docked $1,000. The rest of the players involved were fined $500 each.

“I think the fines that were handed out were just,” Los Angeles Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. “I don’t think there is anyone in this league that condones fighting. All players know what happens when you leave the floor and throw a punch. Unfortunately we’re missing four of our five starters. That’s something that we’ll have to deal with but that’s why they call it a team sport.”

Pam Wheeler, director of operations for the WNBA players’ union, said officials are in the process of interviewing players affected by the fines and suspensions while reviewing video of the end of the game.

“A determination of any appeals or grievances will be made shortly,” Wheeler said in a statement.

The melee at The Palace in suburban Detroit—where the infamous brawl between the Pistons, Indiana Pacers and fans was in 2004—broke out with 4.6 seconds left in a game won by the Sparks.

Parker and Pierson got tangled and fell to the court. Deanna Nolan tackled Parker, and Mahorn appeared to push Leslie to the court. Milton-Jones responded by punching Mahorn in the back.

The fracas started moments after Parker and Detroit’s Cheryl Ford had to be separated after Ford fouled Parker. After Ford tried to restrain Pierson, her right knee buckled and she left the floor in a wheelchair and will miss the rest of the season and playoffs due to a torn knee ligament.

Rare buzz was generated for the WNBA by the skirmish, but the source of the spotlight doesn’t thrill the league.

“There’s no doubt that there has been a tremendous amount of attention, but it’s not the type of attention that we seek,” Orender said.

Late scuffle mars Sparks win over Shock

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Candace Parker wanted to focus on all of the good parts of the Los Angeles Sparks’ win over the Detroit Shock.

Unfortunately, it will be the final 5 seconds that everyone else is going to remember.

Parker was one of three players ejected along with Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn after an ugly scuffle with 4.6 seconds left in Los Angeles’ 84-81 victory.

“To be honest, I don’t recall exactly what happened,” said Parker, who led Los Angeles with 21 points. “I’ll have to watch the tape.”

The skirmish started moments after Parker and Detroit’s Cheryl Ford had to be separated after Ford fouled Parker.

On the next possession, Parker got tangled up with Detroit’s Plenette Pierson and fell to the ground. As she was getting up, Pierson intentionally ran into her, setting off the melee.

Parker threw a punch at Pierson before being tackled by Detroit’s Deanna Nolan. Players and coaches from both teams joined in, and Mahorn knocked Lisa Leslie to the court at one point.

“I was trying to protect the whole game, the integrity of the game,” he said. “The WNBA is very special to me because I have four daughters. I don’t even raise my hand to them, and I would never push a woman. This game, I love this game too much.”

Mahorn was also involved in the 2004 Pistons-Pacers brawl while working as a Detroit broadcaster, going into the crowd to try to pull Ron Artest away from fans.

“Rick Mahorn is known as a peacemaker, from even the brawl we had here with Indiana,” Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said. “He went out there to get people off the pile, and to get people to stop the confrontation. That’s who he is, that’s what he does.”

Leslie did not talk to the media, but Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper also said he felt Mahorn was trying to stop the fight.

“I think Rick was trying to play peacemaker, but he’s just too big,” Sparks coach Michael Cooper said. “I was only trying to grab my players, and I didn’t see exactly what happened, but he apparently gently tried to push Lisa away.”

DeLisha Milton-Jones shoved and punched Mahorn after the incident with Leslie, and was ejected, along with Mahorn, Parker and Pierson. Nolan and Shannon Bobbitt received technicals.

“That was unfortunate, but things like that happen in basketball sometimes,” Milton-Jones said. “The league is going to have to decide what kind of action to take.”

Ford sprained her right knee while trying to restrain Pierson, and left the floor in a wheelchair. Her status is unknown.

“I’m glad that none of our players got hurt, and I hope that Cheryl is OK,” Cooper said.

The brawl marred a key victory for Los Angeles, which came in having lost four of five.

“This was a game we needed badly, and we won it,” said Milton-Jones, who scored 19 points. “That’s the important part, despite what happened at the end.”

Detroit rallied from 21 down but missed a chance to win the game in the final 2 minutes. The Shock have now lost two straight at home after starting the season 10-0 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

“You’re going to be down after losing two games in a row at home, especially emotional, last-minute games, and then throw Ford’s injury on top of that,” Laimbeer said. “I’m sure we’ll get a suspension or two here and there. We can’t get the (Olympic) break fast enough.”

Leslie finished with 10 points for Los Angeles, which swept the two-game season series. Olympic teammate Katie Smith led the Shock with 20 points.

“I haven’t seen something like that, I don’t think, in my whole career,” Smith said. “This is pretty rare.”

The Shock trailed 42-21 in the second quarter, but pulled within 76-75 in the final 90 seconds. Detroit rookie Alexis Hornbuckle then stole the ball from Parker, her former college teammate at Tennessee, but Nolan lost control while going in for what would have been a go-ahead layup.

“We dug ourselves a whole in the first half, because we didn’t come out ready to play,” Smith said. “Two straight games now we’ve given up a lot of points in the first half, and that’s something we’ve got to fix.”

Detroit 70, Connecticut 61

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 26 (AP) -- Deanna Nolan scored 13 points to lead a balanced Detroit Shock offense in a 70-61 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night.

Detroit (11-4) used an 11-1 third-quarter scoring run to build a commanding lead after Connecticut trimmed the Shock's lead to five.

Nolan's 3-point field goal with 3:44 remaining in the quarter gave the Shock a 50-37 lead before Cheryl Ford closed out the run off an offensive putback. Ford was one of three Shock players to score 10 points while Kara Braxton added 11.

Asjha Jones led the Sun (11-4) with 14 points.

Plenette Pierson, who scored 11 points in helping the Shock build its lead, left the game in the third quarter with a right knee strain.

Detroit, which rebounded from a lopsided loss to the Sun in Connecticut on Tuesday, led 37-27 at halftime after scoring 15 unanswered points to finish the first quarter and begin the second.

Shock 89, Mercury 79

PHOENIX, June 14 (AP) -- Rookie Tasha Humphrey

scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Detroit Shock to an 89-79 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday in a rematch of last year's championship series.

The game was the first between the teams since the Mercury beat Detroit in game five of the finals Sept. 16 to win the WNBA title.

The former Georgia star was 10-of-15 shots from the floor and added eight rebounds to help the Shock (8-3) break a two-game losing streak. Her previous best was eight points against Los Angeles on June 11.

Shock rookie Alexis Hornbuckle, a 5-foot-11 guard from Tennessee, grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, and Detroit outrebounded Phoenix 51-41 overall. Katie Smith added 18 points for the Shock, Deanna Nolan had 14, and Hornbuckle finished with 11.

The loss dropped Phoenix to 2-6. Only Washington and Houston have fewer wins.

To exacerbate the Mercury's difficulties, Diana Taurasi, coming off a WNBA season-high of 37 points against Seattle, shot a miserable 1-for-13 for just nine points. Adding to her frustration, the all-league performer fouled out and picked up just four rebounds in her 34 minutes of playing time. Coming into the game, Taurasi, in her fourth year out of Connecticut, led the league in scoring with a 25.6 average.

Cappie Pondexter led the Mercury with 28 points, and Le'coe Willingham added 17.

Smith scores 33 to lead Shock past Storm, 77-67

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Katie Smith will have several reasons to fondly remember her 34th birthday.

The Detroit Shock All-Star was presented with her U.S. Olympic team jersey before the game, then scored a season-high 33 points in a 77-67 victory over the Seattle Storm Wednesday.

“I didn’t want to go home with a loss on my birthday,” said Smith, who hadn’t scored more than 28 points since joining the Shock in 2005. “I just didn’t hit enough shots to get 34 points on my 34th birthday.”

Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer played Smith for the entire game, then joked that he thought she had fallen short of her milestone.

“I played her all 40 minutes so she could try to score 40 points,” he said. “She did turn 40 today, right?”

The Shock (6-1) stayed unbeaten at home.

“I thought we might start 2-10, given our injuries and lack of practice time, so I’m very happy to be 6-1,” Laimbeer said. “We’ve still got a lot to learn about utilizing our bench, but we’ve been better than I expected.”

Seattle lost for the second straight night after a 5-1 start, but got 27 points from Lauren Jackson.

“We’re not going to make excuses—we had a chance to come in here and win the game, and we didn’t do it,” Seattle coach Brian Agler said. “Katie Smith had a great game and Detroit had a little more to offer than we did tonight.”

Swin Cash had 10 points in her first game against Detroit. The 2004 Olympian played her first five seasons with the Shock, winning two titles, before being traded to the Storm after feuding with Laimbeer.

“It was weird going to the visiting locker room—I stepped off the bus and went to the left before I caught myself,” said Cash, who was warmly greeted by the small Palace crowd. “Once the ball tipped off, it was OK.”

Deanna Nolan added 14 points for the Shock and Cheryl Ford had eight points and 11 rebounds. Both players have played all season through injuries—Nolan sprained her ankle while playing in Russia and Ford is still recovering from last season’s knee injury.

“You have to give Tweety and Cheryl all the credit in the world for playing when they are thing banged up,” Smith said. “That’s why it is a pleasant surprise to be 6-1.”

The Storm led 23-13 early in the second quarter, but Detroit finished the period with a 25-10 surge to take a five-point edge.

The Shock moved the advantage to double figures—47-37—early in the third, helped by a technical foul on Sue Bird.

Seattle pulled within 70-67 on two Jackson free throws with 2:10 left, but Smith answered with a 3-pointer and Detroit hung on.

Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace attended the game, sitting under the basket near the Seattle bench.

Lynx extend franchise’s best start

ATLANTA (AP)—Minnesota Lynx coach Don Zierden pulled aside rookie Candice Wiggins, hoping to inspire his young star after she went scoreless in the first half.

“She wasn’t playing like we expected her to play,” Zierden said. “We saw a couple of sets that were working with her running it, so we went ahead and stayed with that and milked it for all we could.”

Wiggins scored all of her 22 points in the second half and hit a key 3-pointer, and Charde Houston made two free throws with 38 seconds left to help the undefeated Lynx beat the winless Atlanta Dream 85-81 Tuesday night.

Wiggins, picked third overall in the draft, shot 7-for-10 from the field in the second half, making half of her six 3-point tries. Her 3 with 1:09 left gave Minnesota a 78-76 lead.

In a reserve role, she wanted to give Minnesota a spark.

“I just really tried to come off the bench and give as much energy I could,” Wiggins said. “You have an advantage being on the bench where you can see sort of what’s going on.”

The Lynx won their fifth straight game and continued the best start in franchise history. Nicky Anosike had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Seimone Augustus added 19 points for Minnesota.

Betty Lennox missed a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the game that would’ve given the Dream a one-point lead. Lennox, who spent her first three WNBA seasons with Minnesota, finished with 28 points and eight assists.

The 6-foot Augustus, who was recently named to the U.S. Olympic team, guarded Lennox for most of the game and was the one who altered the guard’s late miss.

“She still hit some tough shots,” Augustus said, “but I mean that’s what great players do to keep their team in the game. I just tried to use my length.”

Jennifer Lacy scored 16 points for Atlanta, now 0-5.

Atlanta was coming off its closest game of the season, an 80-74 defeat at Washington on June 27. The Dream will try for their first win as a franchise against Chicago on Friday.

Coach Marynell Meadors says she has seen growth in her young Dream team, which shot 69 percent from the field in the second half.

“We have a young team that will continue to get better,” she said. “We haven’t experienced a lot of challenges, but we will learn as the season continues.”

A jumper by Lennox put the Dream ahead 76-75 with 1:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Wiggins, who shot 3-of-7 overall from beyond the arc, answered with her go-ahead 3.

The Lynx, who led the league in fewest turnovers with 13.3 per game, committed 12 in the first half. Minnesota finished with 18 turnovers for the game, while had Atlanta 20.

A basket by Camille Little sparked a 9-0 run for the Dream in the third quarter. Ivory Latta hit a 3-pointer a couple possessions later to give Atlanta a 40-37 lead with 5:47 left.

Minnesota later went on a 13-2 run, capped by Wiggins’ 3 to give the Lynx a 49-44 lead with 1:01 in the third.

“We have a good rhythm now,” Zierden said.

Christon scores 25 points in Liberty’s 77-63 win

NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Liberty got off to a fast start and then used a strong finish to pull away from the Seattle Storm.

Shameka Christon matched a career high with 25 points and led the Liberty to a 77-63 victory over the Storm on Tuesday night.

Christon was 9-for-14 from the floor, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers, and scored 15 in the second half to help the Liberty (2-3) recover after Seattle cut an early 16-point deficit to two at halftime.

“We know they’re a good team,” Christon said. “Of course we dominated the first quarter. You can’t expect a team like that to not to pick it up. Our thing was to come out (in the second half) as if the score was 0-0 and play hard.”

Janel McCarville added 12 points for New York, which had lost five straight meetings against the Storm.

“We came out with a lot of intensity, playing defense and making them turn the ball over, getting stops on the defensive end and our shots falling on the other end,” said Christon, who leads the Liberty in scoring at 15.6 points per game. “It helped that our best defense was them taking the ball out of the net and us being able to set up in our defense.”

Lauren Jackson scored 19 points, Sheryl Swoopes had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Sue Bird added 10 points for Seattle (5-2).

After scoring just six points in the first quarter, the Storm had 30 in the second and pulled within two on Bird’s jumper with 1.8 seconds left before halftime. Seattle tied the score at 38 on Jackson’s layup 46 seconds into the third quarter, and Bird’s layup with 3:54 left in the period gave the Storm their first lead, 44-43.

“We just need to get out to a better start,” Bird said. “Against good teams, especially on the road, you can’t let them jump on you like the Liberty did to us tonight.”

The Liberty moved back ahead for good 15 seconds later on Christon’s three-point play. Rookie Erlana Larkins hit two free throws with 1:33 to go in the third, and Ashley Battle added two more 29 seconds later to push New York’s advantage to 54-48 heading into the fourth.

After Bird’s 3 pulled Seattle to 57-53, the Liberty scored nine consecutive points in a 2:02 span to stretch their lead to 13 on Cathrine Kraayeveld’s 3 with 6:11 to go.

“I think this is the first time we put together four pretty good quarters,” New York coach Pat Coyle said. “That’s something we looked at, the tape, and something we talked about”

The Liberty shot 46 percent from the field (28-for-61), including 9-for-23 on 3s.

Seattle committed a season-high 23 turnovers that led to 27 points for New York.

“Tonight’s turnovers were a result of both us not being as sharp as we could be, and New York being very aggressive,” Storm coach Brian Agler said. “They caused a lot of them. I don’t think we read the defense well at times, I think we were careless with the ball at times, and I think we got in a hurry at times.”

The Storm trailed 22-6 after the first quarter, their third double-digit first-half deficit this season and their lowest scoring period. Seattle was 2-for-8 from the field and 1-for-4 from the line in the quarter.

” It seemed like everything was going their way,” Bird siad. “They were getting loose balls, things like that.”

The six points allowed in the first were the fewest against the Liberty in any quarter this season.

Seattle scored seven points in just 1:45 in the second, pulling to 24-13 on Swoopes’ driving layup. The Storm’s second 7-0 run of the second quarter pulled them to 30-26 on Tanisha Wright’s jumper with 3:46 left in the period.

Sparks beat Sky in OT

CHICAGO (AP)—DeLisha Milton-Jones scored 24 points, including eight in overtime, to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to an 81-77 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.

Rookie Sylvia Fowles, the second overall pick in the draft by Chicago, strained her knee in a third quarter collision with Milton-Jones. She hobbled off the court and went to the hospital for an examination. She did not return, but Sky coach Steven Key said Fowles will be fine.

Sparks rookie Candace Parker, the first overall pick making her first visit as a pro to her hometown, collected 12 points, seven rebounds and fouled out before a crowd of 6,304—the Sky’s first sellout—at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion.

“It’s great to come home,” said Parker, the former Tennessee star who led the Volunteers to a pair of NCAA titles, including one in April. “I was really excited to play in front of my family and friends. I probably know about half the people here.”

Milton-Jones secured the victory with a pair of free throws with 29.5 seconds left in overtime to put the Sparks up for good at 76-73.

Trailing 56-43 as the fourth quarter opened, Chicago’s Jia Perkins sparked a rally with 10 fourth-quarter points.

Dominique Canty tied the game at 69 with two free throws for Chicago with 6.6 seconds left in regulation.

Lisa Leslie added 18 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Candace Dupree paced the Sky with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Perkins finished with 16 points while Canty added 13 for Chicago.

Thompson leads Comets to first win of season

HOUSTON (AP)—Tina Thompson had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Houston Comets to their first win of the season, 75-72 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Tuesday night.

Rookie guard Matee Ajavon added 15 points, included six in the closing minutes that helped Houston put to rest any talk of repeating last season’s franchise-worst 0-10 start.

The Comets (1-5) lost their previous four games by a combined 17 points, but improved to 14-6 all-time against the Silver Stars franchise that used to play its games in Utah as the Starzz.

Michelle Snow and Tamecka Dixon added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Comets, who improved to 1-1 at home.

Becky Hammon led San Antonio (2-3) with 20 points and Sophia Young, who tweaked her knee in the game, added 15 on 4-of-12 shooting.

The Comets trailed 64-62 with 6:09 to go before Thompson ignited a 10-2 run that gave Houston a 72-66 lead with 3:41 to go.

Erin Buescher added 10 points and five rebounds for the Silver Stars before fouling out with less than three minutes remaining.

San Antonio, which committed 16 turnovers, fell to 0-3 on the road this season and has lost three of its last four games against the Comets.

The Silver Stars led 33-25 with 3:52 left in the second quarter after Edwige Lawson-Wade made the second of back-to-back 3-pointers. But the Comets rallied with a 17-2 run to close out the half and took a 39-35 lead to the locker room.

Thompson scored seven points during the rally for the Comets, who held the Silver Stars without a field goal after Lawson-Wade’s 3-pointers.

Houston started the third quarter with a 8-2 run to take a 47-37 lead before Buescher hit another San Antonio 3-pointer after the team called their first timeout of the half.

That ignited a 14-4 run that tied the game when Hammon hit her fourth 3-pointer of the game with 3:33 left in the third.

Defending WNBA champs finally get first win

PHOENIX (AP)Diana Taurasi scored 29 points and Cappie Pondexter added 23 to lead the Phoenix Mercury past the Washington Mystics 98-93 Tuesday night for the defending WNBA champions’ first win after four losses to start the season.

Alana Beard scored 33 points, including six 3-pointers, and had seven assists, for the Mystics (2-4). She came a point short of the franchise record, Chamique Holdsclaw’s 34 against Indiana on July 24, 2003.

Washington got within 76-72 with 7:55 remaining, rallying from a 15-point deficit, but Phoenix made five of seven free throws over the next three minutes and Taurasi scored 11 fourth-quarter points.

Phoenix ran off 11 straight after the teams were tied at 59 in the third quarter to take control.

Tangela Smith added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Mercury.

The Mystics, a 67 percent free-throw shooting team, missed 14 of 20.

Beard nearly kept Washington in the game by herself, making 12 of 17 shots from the field, 6 of 8 from beyond the arc. She scored the first three points of the fourth quarter and hit a 3-pointer with 8:21 left to cut the advantage to 74-70.

Lynx rally to beat Comets 98-92 in OT

HOUSTON (AP)—Seimone Augustus scored 25 points and Nicky Anosike added 20 more to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Houston Comets

98-92 in overtime Tuesday night in Houston’s home opener.

Augustus finished with nine rebounds and four assists and the Lynx erased a 12-point deficit in the last five minutes of regulation and forced overtime when Augustus hit an easy basket with 26.8 seconds left.

In the last 15 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Comets’ Erica White turned the ball over but the Lynx could not get a shot off.

Minnesota then scored six of the first eight points in overtime, including four by Anosike in the first 2:57.

Anna De Forge added 19 points and six rebounds for the Lynx (2-0), who are off to their best start since 1999.

Tina Thompson had 20 points and nine rebounds as the Comets fell to 0-3 for the second straight season.

Mwadi Mabika and Sancho Lyttle added 14 points each for Houston, which had 17 turnovers.

The Comets led 26-17 after the first quarter as Thompson carved up the Lynx for 10 points in the first 12 minutes. But Minnesota, playing its first road game of the season, responded with a 10-0 run to start the second quarter and took its first lead when Noelle Quinn made an easy layup with 6:31 left in the half.

But as quickly as that lead disappeared, it returned. Mabika scored eight points in a 15-0 Houston run that Shannon Johnson capped by making a long 3 with 2:43 left.

The Lynx got back in the game with an 8-0 run and made it 45-37 on a last-second layup by Vanessa Hayden-Johnson as time expired in the first half.

Beard, McWilliams Franklin lead Mystics, 80-74

WASHINGTON (AP)—Alana Beard scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half and Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 19 and nine rebounds to help the Washington Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 80-74 Tuesday night.

Beard scored seven of the final nine points for the Mystics (2-2), who outrebounded the Dream 41-20.

Betty Lennox scored 29 points for Atlanta (0-4), which nearly rallied from a nine point deficit in the fourth quarter. Lennox, who made six of seven 3-pointers, hit two of them on an 8-0 run that cut the lead to 71-70 with about 3 minutes remaining.

After Beard hit consecutive free throws, Lennox nailed a mid-range jumper to cut the lead back to one before Beard’s layup and free throw gave the Mystics a four-point cushion with 52 seconds left. Lennox countered with another basket, but Beard, who hit 10 of 12 free throws, and Monique Currie each hit two free throws to seal the win.

The expansion Dream lost by double figures in their first three games.

The Mystics won their second game in a row, but their first without injured point guard Nikki Blue. Amber Jacobs started for the first time since 2006, and had no points, but three assists.

Douglas scores 23 as Fever rout Sun 75-46

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP)—Katie Douglas scored 23 points in her return to Connecticut, leading the Indiana Fever to a 75-46 win over the Sun on Tuesday night.

Douglas, who played five seasons in Connecticut, was traded to Indiana for Tamika Whitmore during the offseason.

She scored 14 of her points in the first half when the Fever (2-1) took a double-digit lead it never gave up. Tan White added 15 points for the Fever.

Lindsay Whalen led the Sun (3-1) with 13 points.

Connecticut trailed by 22 points at halftime and got as close as 16 early in the third quarter at 48-32. But Indiana outscored Connecticut 14-7 the rest of the way and had a 62-39 lead entering the fourth period.

Douglas hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth period and later a pair of free throws that gave Indiana its largest lead at 75-44.

It was the lowest point total for the Sun franchise since Aug 1, 2003, when they scored 45 points in a 48-45 loss to Washington. Connecticut’s seven-point output in the fourth was a franchise record low.

Monarchs top Silver Stars

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Although many of the familiar faces are gone from the roster, the Sacramento Monarchs still played with their trademark tough defensive style Saturday night in winning their season-opener at home.

Adrian Williams-Strong and Nicole Powell each scored 13 points and the Monarchs held off the San Antonio Silver Stars for a 73-64 victory.

Despite a revamped starting lineup and bench, the Monarchs dominated the opening stages of the first quarter and led most of the way against the Silver Stars, who defeated Sacramento in the opening round of the playoffs last year.

The Monarchs played without DeMya Walker, who was injured in preseason and released by the team on Friday. Also gone from the Monarchs’ once-formidable front court is Yolanda Griffith, who signed as a free agent with Seattle in the offseason.

But 10 Monarchs played significant minutes, including three rookies and two players who saw limited action a year ago.

“That was impressive the way our rookies came in and played,” said Powell, who didn’t start the game and joined the team late this week after finishing her season in Russia. “Our rookies are very mature, they have no fear. They aren’t intimidated by anyone.”

Rebekkah Brunson and rookie Laura Harper each scored 10 points for the Monarchs, who won despite 23 turnovers. Kara Lawson had nine points and Ticha Penicheiro had six points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Harper, the team’s top draft choice out of Maryland, admitted to some early jitters, but still produced well in 21 minutes. A post player, she made 3 of 5 shots, hit all four free throws and added five rebounds and two blocks.

“The veterans on this team have instilled a lot of confidence in the rookies,” Harper said. “They’ve been telling us you can’t be nervous and have helped us be more composed. This was a fun, an exciting win. It’s great to know I will be coming in and getting some minutes right away, which doesn’t happen to all rookies.”

Sophia Young scored 22 points for San Antonio, which missed 16 of 19 3-point attempts and shot 32 percent. Becky Hammon and Erin Buescher each scored 11 points and Vickie Johnson added eight.

Hammon, who shot 4 of 19 and had one assist, wasn’t ready to give too much credit to the new-look Monarchs.

“We know they are a good defensive team that is scrappy, but I thought we had a lot of good looks, open shots that we just didn’t make,” Hammon said. “We made a lot of mistakes, things that really hurt us.”

Trailing 65-53 early in the fourth, the Silver Stars scored seven straight to cut the lead to five points midway through the quarter. Bothered by Sacramento’s constant defensive pressure, San Antonio scored just four points the rest of the fourth quarter.

“We started missing shots again, and they were able to run. It’s a lot easier to run when you’re getting a rebound on a missed shot, rather than a basket,” Hammon said. “We let the game get away from us at the end.”

Brunson scored nine points in the opening half and nine of the 10 Monarchs who played also scored, helping Sacramento take a 41-35 lead into halftime.

“They (San Antonio) are hard to get a rhythm against, but I thought we showed great perseverance and resilience and got a lot of good minutes from a lot of good people and we found a way,” Monarchs coach Jenny Boucek said

Shooting 31 percent in the opening half, the Silver Stars were fortunate they didn’t trail by more. Hammon typified San Antonio’s shooting woes in the first half, missing 7 of 9 shots and scoring five points.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game for people listening on the radio or watching the locally televised broadcast was listening to Ron Artest. The controversial Sacramento Kings player did three quarters of the game as a color radio commentator and spent the second quarter in front of the TV cameras.

San Antonio was playing without projected starting center Ann Wauters, who is having passport problems and is expected to join the team next week.

Also, Silver Stars guard Helen Darling also missed all eight shots and scored three points.

Storm beat Sky 67-61

SEATTLE (AP)—Lauren Jackson scored 14 points and Sue Bird added 13 points and seven assists and the Seattle Storm beat the Chicago Sky 67-61 in the teams’ season opener on Saturday night.

The Storm (1-0) overcame cold shooting in the first half and went on a 23-1 scoring run—including 12-0 to end the third quarter—to pull ahead.

“In the second half, we just got into the flow and showed some pretty great things,” said Jackson, who had just two points at halftime on 1-for-10 shooting. “When our defense breaks down, it generally takes a toll on our offense. If we get it right defensively, good things will come.”

The Storm, playing their first game under a new ownership group and new coach Brian Agler, featured a significantly revamped lineup that includes reigning league MVP Jackson and past MVPs Sheryl Swoopes and Yolanda Griffith.

Swoopes finished with eight points, four rebounds and two assists. Griffith had eight points and seven rebounds.

The Storm struggled to score in the first half. Seattle shot 29.4 percent (10-for-34) during the first 20 minutes and trailed 35-29 at halftime.

The third-year Sky, who were looking for their first regular-season victory against the Storm in five tries, extended the lead to 38-29 early in the third quarter as Seattle missed its first seven shots after halftime.

Agler called a timeout just 59 seconds into the third.

“I just said, ‘We have to start playing with some poise around the basket. We’re missing a lot of easy shots,”’ Agler said. “And we had to have some consecutive stops on defense.”

The Storm hit 13 of their last 18 shots in the third quarter to get back into the game. They tied it at 47-47 on Jackson’s turnaround 10-footer, and went in front for good when Swoopes stole the ball and hit Bird for a fast-break lay-in.

Seattle extended the lead to 17 points during the fourth when Jackson hit a short shot and the ensuing free throw to cap the 23-1 run.

“We were a little tentative during the first half, not because of a lack of energy, but because you’re in a new system with a lot of new players,” Bird said. “But every day, the more we play together, whether it’s in practice or in games, it’ll come.”

Chicago was led by Chasity Melvin, who came off the bench for 15 points. Jia Perkins added 12. Candice Dupree had seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Sky, who were kept without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes—from 2:47 left in the third quarter to 1:44 left in the game.

The Sky out-rebounded Seattle, 40-34.

Swoopes, formerly of Houston, and Griffith, from Sacramento, signed during the offseason as free agents. Swin Cash, another league All-Star acquired from Detroit in an offseason trade, also had 13 points for Seattle.

Whitmore leads Sun to win over Dream

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP)—Tamika Whitmore had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 100-67 victory over the expansion Atlanta Dream on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.

Asjha Jones added 18 points, Barbara Turner 15 and Lindsay Whalen 11 for the Sun, who scored 100 points in regulation for the second time in franchise history

Betty Lennox led Atlanta with 17 points, Stacey Lovelace had 11 and Katie Feenstra 10.

The Sun led 51-34 at halftime and didn’t let the Dream get closer than 14 points in the second half.

Atlanta led 17-12 before Connecticut used a 26-6 run to take over early in the game.

The Sun added nine new players in the offseason, following their first-round playoff exit last season. Whitmore made her debut with the Sun after being traded from Indiana in the offseason for All-Star Katie Douglas.

Shock open WNBA season with victory over Comets

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Alexis Hornbuckle won a national championship in her last game. On Saturday, she moved to the pro level without missing a beat.

In her WNBA debut, the Tennessee star had eight points and a franchise-record seven steals to help the Detroit Shock beat the Houston Comets 85-66 in the season opener.

“I knew I had to be ready to play, and I just wanted to give us some energy and defense,” Hornbuckle said. “I was over-thinking things early on, but I settled down.”

Hornbuckle helped the Lady Volunteers defend their NCAA title last month. She had a game-winning jumper in the semifinals, so her teammates weren’t surprised by her performance.

Katie Smith scored 21 points and Plenette Pierson added 17 to lead the Shock, who have played in the WNBA finals in three of the last five seasons.

“She was great, but coming from Tennessee, we knew she was used to playing at a high level,” Smith said.

Hornbuckle got extra playing time because Deanna Nolan was limited to 17 minutes by a sore ankle. Nolan got hurt while playing in Russia, and spent most of the second half on the bench.

“I thought it was extraordinary that she was able to get on the floor at all,” said Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer. “She couldn’t get it loose after the half, so we had to sit her.”

Laimbeer chose to start Elaine Powell at point guard and move Smith to Swin Cash’s vacated small-forward spot.

“I like Plenette in that role, and I thought E.P. did a great job,” he said. “We might stay with that group, but it depends on Nolan’s ankle and the matchups.”

Tina Thompson led Houston with 17 points, and Mwadi Mabika and Matee Ajavon added 12 each.

“Detroit’s a good team—they’ve been to the finals, and they’ve won several times, so you have to come out and play them hard,” Thompson said. “We didn’t do that.”

The Shock took control with a 20-1 run that stretched between the third and fourth quarters.

“We looked a little confused with some of our defensive assignments in the first half, but I thought we really settled down in the third quarter,” Laimbeer said. “We got some steals and we didn’t give them any second shots.”

The Comets finished with 23 turnovers, leading to 25 Detroit points, and allowed 20 offensive rebounds.

“Detroit did a great job defensively, and they played a very physical game,” Houston coach Karleen Thompson said. “But we need to work on our chemistry as a team. It’s basically just effort—that was a big thing tonight.”

Parker leads Sparks to 99-94 victory over Mercury

PHOENIX (AP)—Candace Parker had some jitters in her WNBA debut. It sure didn’t show.

Parker scored 34 points, the most in a WNBA debut, and added 12 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat the defending champion Phoenix Mercury 99-94 on Saturday.

The previous high in a WNBA debut was 25 points by Cynthia Cooper in 1997.

“It obviously was better than I expected,” said the 6-foot-4 Parker, who led Tennessee to back-to-back national titles. “Coming out, I just wanted to play hard. I was a little nervous, and I think my teammates did a good job of just keeping me in it mentally and just not allowing me to get frustrated.”

The game was tied at 79 early in the fourth quarter when Parker took over. She scored 10 straight points to give the Sparks an 89-86 lead with 3:15 to play.

Parker, who made 6-of-7 shots in the final quarter, hit a short hook shot to put the Sparks up 97-94 with 12 seconds to go.

“She’s the money player,” Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper said. “Put the ball in her hands and she did what she’s supposed to do.”

Parker wore a brace on her left shoulder, which she dislocated during the NCAA tournament. It didn’t slow her one bit.

Parker came within two assists of becoming the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double. Only one NBA player did it in his debut—Oscar Robertson, in 1960.

“Honestly, it was just finding the mismatch,” Parker said. “My teammates did a great job of just getting me the ball and just moving afterwards.”

Lisa Leslie, who missed last season on maternity leave, had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Sparks.

Cappie Pondexter, fighting off jet lag, scored 32 points for Phoenix but missed a potential tying 3-pointer with 4 seconds to go.

Pondexter arrived in Phoenix late Friday night after a long flight from Turkey, where she played during the WNBA offseason.

“She’s what you call a trooper,” Phoenix coach Corey Gaines said. “She had 32. I can’t wait until she gets a little sleep.”

Before the game, the Mercury celebrated their 2007 WNBA championship with a ring ceremony and the unveiling of US Airways Center’s lone basketball title banner.

Mercury star Diana Taurasi told the crowd of 13,749 that the Mercury aim to make it two in a row this season. But this is a different team.

Former coach Paul Westhead left after the season to join the Seattle SuperSonics’ staff, although he returned for the ring ceremony. And star forward Penny Taylor is back in her native Australia preparing for the Beijing Olympics.

With Phoenix-area resident Muhammad Ali watching from a baseline seat, the fired-up Mercury broke out to a 15-7 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Sparks answered with a 10-0 run capped by a pair of 3-pointers by Sidney Spencer, who hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter.

Taurasi missed her first six shots, showing the effects of a stomach virus she contracted after returning from Russia this week. She was scoreless until she made a 3-pointer late in the first half. Taurasi finished with 24 points.

2008 Complete Draft Board

The Los Angeles Sparks won the 2008 WNBA Draft Lottery and have the first overall pick.

2008 WNBA DRAFT, ROUND 1

PICtK	TEAM	RECORD
1	Los Angeles Sparks - Candace Parker	10-24
2	Chicago Sky - Sylvia Fowles	14-20
3	Minnesota Lynx - Candice Wiggins	10-24
4	Detroit (from Atlanta via Seattle) Alexis Hornbuckle	24-10
5	Houston Comets - Matee Ajavon	13-21
6	Washington Mystics - Crystal Langhorne	16-18
7	New York Liberty - Essence Carson	16-18
8	Atlanta Dream - Tamera Young	NA
9	Connecticut Sun - Amber Holt	18-16
10	Sacramento Monarchs - Laura Harper	19-15
11	Detroit Shock (from SA) - Tasha Humphrey	24-10
12	Connecticut Sun (from Indiana) - Ketia Swanier	18-16
13	Phoenix Mercury - LaToya Pringle	23-11
14	New York Liberty (from Detroit) - Erlana Larkins	16-18

2008 WNBA DRAFT, ROUND 2

PICK	TEAM	RECORD
15	Los Angeles Sparks - Shannon Bobbitt	10-24
16	Minnesota Lynx - Nicky Anosike	10-24
17	Houston Comets - Erica White	13-21
18	Detroit Shock (from Atlanta) - Olayinka Sanni	24-10
19	Chicago Sky - Quianna Chaney	14-20
20	Washington Mystics - Lindsey Pluimer	16-18
21	San Antonio (from New York) - Chioma Nnamaka	20-14
22	Seattle Storm - Allie Quigley	17-17
23	Connecticut Sun - Jolene Anderson	18-16
24	Atlanta Dream (from Indiana) - Morenike Atunrase	NA
25	Phoenix (from San Antonio) - Leilani Mitchell	23-11
26	Indiana Fever - Khadijah Whittington	21-13
27	New York Liberty (from Phoenix) - Wanisha Smith	16-18
28	Detroit Shock - Natasha Lacy	24-10

2008 WNBA DRAFT, ROUND 3

PICK	TEAM	RECORD
29	Los Angeles Sparks - Sharnee’ Zoll	10-24
30	Minnesota Lynx - Charde Houston	10-24
31	Houston Comets - Crystal Kelly	13-21
32	Atlanta Dream - Danielle Hood	NA
33	Chicago Sky - Angela Tisdale	14-20
34	Washington Mystics - Krystal Vaughn	16-18
35	New York Liberty - Alberta Auguste	16-18
36	Seattle Storm - Kimberly Beck	17-17
37	Connecticut Sun - Lauren Ervin	18-16
38	Sacramento Monarchs - A’Quonesia Franklin	19-15
39	San Antonio Silver Stars - Alex Anderson	20-14
40	Sacramento (from Indiana) - Izabela Piekarska	19-15
41	Phoenix Mercury - Marscilla Packer	23-11
42	Detroit Shock - Valeriya Berezhynska	24-10
43*	Sacramento Monarchs - Charel Allen	19-15

* Sacramento has been granted an additional third round pick at the end of the round

Extending the College Experience in the WNBA

PALM HARBOR, Fla., April 9, 2008 -- Winning the 2008 national championship on Tuesday night was bittersweet for Tennessee’s departing players. On one hand, the Lady Vols’ fab five was able to help the team complete its back-to-back bid in impressive fashion by defeating Stanford in the NCAA title game. But the ensuing celebration also signaled their final moment to share as teammates before going their separate ways in their basketball careers.

Well, not entirely.

On Wednesday, at the 2008 WNBA Draft in Tampa, as expected all-world talent Candace Parker was selected No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks. Fourteen picks later, when it was the Sparks’ turn again, Michael Cooper and Co. went for another Tennessee player, drafting guard Shannon Bobbitt at No. 15.

As Sparks fans know, the UT presence doesn’t stop there. Parker and Bobbitt will be added to a roster that already features Sidney Spencer and Tye’sha Fluker.

“Being able to play with people that I know and I’m comfortable with is great,” said Parker. “I’m really excited about having familiar faces so I don’t feel like I’m going into this alone.”

Spencer, a draftee of the Sparks from last year and member of the Vols’ 2007 title team, was in the house Wednesday, chatting live and providing analysis for WNBA.com during the draft. Suffice it to say, the ’07 All-Rookie performer was ecstatic with each selection of her former court mates by L.A., and quick to cite the advantages.

“It’s kind of like a dream come true,” said Spencer. “It’s an impossible situation that did happen. I want to make the most of it. It’s great that I don’t have to learn their tendencies because I already played with them. I know where they want the ball and I know what their strengths are. So we’re already a few steps ahead when the new rookies go into camp.”

Parker’s teammate connections weren’t done though. They continued when the Sparks’ third and final pick of the draft – No. 29 overall -- was unveiled to be Sharnee’ Zoll from Virginia. Parker revealed that she and Zoll have played alongside each other in a couple stops along the way, including for USA Basketball.

As for Parker and Bobbitt’s teammates, they too had the good fortune of hearing their names called on draft day, although it wasn’t by L.A. Alexis Hornbuckle went to the Detroit Shock at No. 4 overall, Nicky Anosike followed Bobbitt at No. 16 when Minnesota drafted her and Alberta Auguste was selected by New York in the third round.

Carrying the positive vibes that come with being drafted, Anosike saw no reason to be disappointed about being sent to a different destination from her Tennessee teammates.

“I’ve gotten to play with a lot of those players already and it’ll be fun to try and see what else is out there,” said Anosike.

Hornbuckle agreed and added that she’s actually looking forward to playing against them. Above all else, the Tennessee players seemed excited that all five players had something to cheer about on draft day because after repeating as NCAA champions they all deserved some recognition.

“It speaks volumes for our team and the program that Coach (Pat) Summitt has built,” said Hornbuckle. “We go against each other every day in practice, and it’s great to see all five seniors do well in the draft and be able to go somewhere and pursue a career.”

But Tennessee wasn’t the only powerhouse from the 2007-08 college season to have multiple players selected in Wednesday’s star-studded draft. And like Tennessee, LSU saw two of its players get drafted by the same team.

LSU center Sylvia Fowles, whose Tigers were upended in the national semis by the Vols, was selected right behind Parker at No. 2 by the Chicago Sky. With their next pick, the Sky snatched up guard Quianna Chaney.

When Chaney’s name was announced, Fowles got more than just a teammate going with her to the Windy City.

“It’s going to be a thrill,” said Fowles about being able to play with Chaney at the next level. “I enjoyed our college years. We have been real close. She has been my roommate for four years. It will make the overall transition a little easier for the both of us.”

Chaney was equally eager to have the chance to continue to play with Fowles in a new locale.

“I can’t find a word for that besides excited,” said Chaney. “I get to play with the beast again. It’s just a great honor.

“She’s come with me this far and now she’ll have my back again in Chicago.”

Seeing players from the same schools on the same WNBA rosters is nothing new. In fact, with the selection of Ketia Swanier in the first round, the Connecticut Sun now have four former UConn players on their roster, and five if you include Nykesha Sales, who will be sitting out this year.

But to remain with the players that were there besides you for most, if not all, of your college battles and celebrate on the same day has to be something special.

All-Star Sue Bird re-signs with Seattle Storm

SEATTLE (AP)—Sue Bird, a five-time All-Star, signed a multiyear contract Friday to remain with the Seattle Storm.

Bird will join league MVP Lauren Jackson and newly signed stars Sheryl Swoopes and Swin Cash on the Storm. Since winning the WNBA title in 2004, Seattle has lost in the first round of the playoffs the last three seasons.

“Seattle is home for me, and I am very excited to be back,” the 27-year-old Bird said. “I can’t wait to get back to Seattle to make another run at a championship.”

Anne Donovan, coach of the national Olympic team, resigned as coach and personnel director in late November after five seasons. After talk of moving the franchise, a group of season-ticket holders bought the Storm in January.

“When I heard the Storm was going to stay in Seattle under local ownership, I knew I wanted to come back,” said Bird, whose 5.6 assists per game ranks second in WNBA history.

“With re-signing Sue, and the addition of Swin Cash and Sheryl Swoopes to the incredibly talented players we already have, I couldn’t be more pleased with how our roster has come together,” said new coach Brian Agler, who is also the director of personnel.

Liberty, Moore reach three-year deal

NEW YORK (TICKER) —The New York Liberty on Tuesday agreed to a three-year contract extension with guard Loree Moore.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Moore averaged a career-best 9.6 points and 34-plus minutes last season, starting 33 games.

She led the team in scoring eight times and ranked second in the league with 2.2 steals per game. Moore was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second-Team for the first time in her professional career.

Lynx sign Gaurd Ashley Awkward

MINNEAPOLIS (TICKER) —The Minnesota Lynx

signed guard Ashley Awkward on Friday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Awkward averaged 12.9 points and 1.9 steals in her final campaign at Mississippi last season while carrying the Rebels to an Elite Eight appearance.

Currently, Awkward is playing for the Christchurch Sirens of the WNBL in Australia where she posted an average of 6.7 points in 23 games this season.

Minnesota, which will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary in the WNBA, is set to open its 2008 campaign against the Detroit Shock on May 18.

EuroLeague's Women All-Star Game

Despite lacking the international star power of the "Rest of the World" team, Team Europe took advantage of hot shooting from long distance as they rolled 111-86 in Thursday's EuroLeague Women's All-Star Game in Moscow. Spaniard Amaya Valdemoro posted a game-high 25 points to take home the game's MVP honors.

Newly naturalized Russian citizen Becky Hammon added 17 points for the European side, while former WNBA star Maria Stepanova had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

WNBA.com blogger Cappie Pondexter led the Rest of the World with 24 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones added 18 in support.

But it was the Europeans' accuracy from beyond the arc that spurred their first-half advantage. The Euros went 14-27 (51.8 percent) overall from three-point range, including Valdemoro's 5-9 mark. They also hit 21-24 free throws, an 87.5 percent clip.

We're also expecting to touch base shortly with Cappie Pondexter, who promised a new blog from the All-Star event in Russia. We'll provide a link when her new blog goes live.

Detroit Shock Re-signs Ford, Nolan, and Smith

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—The Detroit Shock re-signed key players Cheryl Ford, Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith on Monday.

Coach Bill Laimbeer said retaining the three All-Stars and the earlier re-signing of Plenette Pierson make the Shock “a formidable contender for the championship.” Detroit, which won titles in 2003 and 2006, lost last year’s WNBA finals to the Phoenix Mercury.

Ford was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2003 and won All-WNBA honors in 2003 and 2006. Nolan joined the Shock in 2001 season and is a three-time All-WNBA player. Smith is a four-time All-WNBA honoree and two-time Olympic gold medalist who joined the Shock late in the 2005 season.