Lasers’ Spurts Help Reign Fall San Jose Gets Past Seattle 77-70
Val Whiting gave the Seattle Reign the early momentum Friday night, but her former teammates, the San Jose Lasers, had enough inside and out to win a women’s pro basketball game of spurts in the Arena.
Guard Jennifer Azzi and 6-5 rookie post Clarisse Machanguana scored 24 points apiece to rally the Lasers to a 77-70 American Basketball League exhibition win over the Reign.
Playing against the team that traded her to Seattle, Whiting was a force in every facet of the game but two. The 6-2 Whiting missed 6 of 11 free throws and managed only three rebounds against the taller, physical Lasers.
Touted Seattle rookie Kate Starbird connected on 2 of 7 shots and was held to eight points by the aggressive perimeter defense of Azzi, Kedra Holland-Corn and Sonja Henning.
The Reign led by 10 late in the first half after Whiting picked off an erratic Seattle shot from the corner and scored on the putback.
But Azzi’s steal and layin triggered a six-point run in the final minute that cut Seattle’s advantage to 36-32 at the half.
San Jose wasted no time pounding the ball inside in the third quarter, lobbing to Machanguana, who had 10 of the Lasers’ first 14 third-quarter points.
The Lasers also began to cut off entry passes to Whiting in the post.
“We tried to front her a little bit more and keep it away,” San Jose coach Angela Beck said. “We noticed she was pretty much touching the ball nearly every possession.”
Machanguana sank 10 of 13 shots for the night in front of 1,740.
The startling aspect of Machanguana’s game is the lead role she takes on the break. At 6-5, she not only fills a lane but at times is the first San Jose player to get to the hoop for the cripple.
“I’m not the fastest player on our team, but I’m one of the fastest post players,” said the 23-year-old former Old Dominion star from Mozambique. “Running is one of my strengths. Compared to college, I’ve lost a little bit (of speed), but I’m working hard to get it back.”
Azzi, who was 6 of 10 from the field and 10 of 10 at the line, also gave Seattle fits with quick, tight-checking defense. She had game highs in steals (eight) and assists (five).
One of seven ex-Stanford players in the game, Azzi said the Lasers have worked hard for next week’s regular-season opener.
“We’re a lot more physical this year,” she said. “The coaches want us to pressure all over the place. We have an intensity level we didn’t have last year.”
The Lasers, 2-0 in exhibitions, won this one without post players Sheri Sam and Charlotte Smith, and with Beck suffering from what she said was food poisoning picked up before she got here.
“Considering all that, I feel pretty good right now,” she said. “Our transition game hurt them late in the third and fourth quarters. And Clarisse got down and beat their big people down. It wasn’t pretty, but we mentally stayed with it.”
Whiting led Seattle with 19 points. Shalonda Enis had 14. Former Washington star Rhonda Smith came off the Reign bench to hit 5 of 5 shots on the way to 13 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
Seattle coach Jacquie Hullah said the Lasers “definitely took advantage of us in the paint in the second half, but that’s an adjustment we can make before our opener (Wednesday in San Jose).”
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