Storm prevail on late basket
Betty Lennox got the opening she needed for the Seattle Storm.
Lennox hit a running jumper with 0.9 seconds left to give visiting Seattle a 65-63 victory over Sacramento on Saturday night.
Following a timeout with 8.5 seconds remaining, Lennox drove past DeMya Walker along the baseline for the winner.
“It was a blessing out of the sky,” said Lennox, who finished with 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
“My shooting tonight was terrible. I was looking for more of a jump shot, but I took what they gave me.”
Walker praised Lennox.
“She did a pump fake off her back foot. It was an incredible play,” Walker said.
Yolanda Griffith, who led the Monarchs with 20 points and 11 rebounds, missed an off-balance shot at the buzzer.
Sheri Sam made two free throws to give the Storm a 63-61 lead with 1:04 left, but Kara Lawson tied it with a driving layup in traffic with 8.5 seconds remaining.
Sam scored 17 points for the Storm (4-2), Lauren Jackson had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Sue Bird added 12 points and six assists.
“Any win on the road is a good one, especially here,” Bird said. “That’s the great thing about this team. They did a good job defensively against Lauren, but we have a lot of depth on this team.”
DeMya Walker had 17 points, and Tangela Smith added 16 for the Monarchs (2-4).
In a streaky first half, Seattle made 14 of its first 17 shots, running off 15 straight points for a 34-17 lead.
Behind Griffith’s 12 points, the Monarchs closed with a 15-2 run, pulling to 36-32 by halftime. Sam made her first five shots and scored 13 first-half points for the Storm.
“It was a crazy game,” Bird said. “We got that early lead and then they came back. I’m not sure if it was what we did or what they were doing to come back.”
Comets 75, Sparks 71: At Houston, Tina Thompson scored 24 points to lead Houston to a 75-71 victory over Los Angeles, ending a two-game losing streak.
Lisa Leslie scored a team-high 18 points for Los Angeles and added 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Los Angeles made just two shots in the final 5:22 and lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
The Comets, who ended the game with a 20-4 run, got six points down the stretch from Sheryl Swoopes, who finished with 10.
Lynx 76, Mercury 68: At Minneapolis, Tamika Williams had a career-high 22 points and Katie Smith scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half to lead Minnesota past Phoenix.
Mercury rookie Diana Taurasi had 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting, but hit only one of her final eight shots and fouled out with 51.3 seconds left. That foul sent Smith to the line, where she made both to give Minnesota a 72-66 lead. The Lynx hit 19 of 20 free throws in the second half, including six in the final minute.
Plenette Pierson led Phoenix with 15 points.
Fever 70, Sting 57: At Indianapolis, Tamika Catchings scored 19 points to help Indiana hold off Charlotte.
After a 3-pointer by Kristen Rasmussen gave the Fever a 57-43 lead with 9:01 to play, Indiana didn’t hit another field goal until Deanna Jackson’s layup with 32 seconds left.
Allison Feaster led Charlotte with a season-high 18 points.
Liberty 62, Silver Stars 57: At San Antonio, Becky Hammon scored 12 points to lead New York to a victory over San Antonio for its sixth straight win.
Elena Baranova had 11 points and Shameka Christon 11 for the Liberty (6-1), who matched the longest winning streak in franchise history.
New York staved off a furious comeback by the Silver Stars, who were down by 23 points in the first half, but cut that lead to three when Shannon Johnson hit the second of two free throws with 1:38 left.
Baranova sealed the victory, when she hit two free throws with 30 seconds left.
Adrienne Goodson had 15 of her 17 points in the second half for the Silver Stars, who have lost three straight. Goodson was 8 for 8 from the free throw line.