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.
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