Storm have way with Liberty

The Seattle Storm recovered from a slow start and rolled past the New York Liberty.

Lauren Jackson led four Seattle scorers in double figures with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and the WNBA-leading Storm won their fourth straight with an 86-62 victory against the slumping New York Liberty on Tuesday night in New York.

Seattle used a 41-12 run over a 15-minute stretch spanning halftime to take a 23-point lead and hand New York its third straight loss after a six-game winning streak.

“The end of the first half really carried us,” Seattle coach Anne Donovan said. “Gave us the momentum going into halftime. They looked fatigued in the second half. A lot of their shots were short and I think that was a result of our defense.”

Sherri Sam had 15 points and seven rebounds, Janell Burse 12 points and nine rebounds and Betty Lennox added 10 points and six rebounds for Seattle. After committing seven turnovers in the first 15 minutes, the Storm had just two the rest of the way.

The Liberty matched their second-worst loss in franchise history, topped only by a 79-54 setback against Houston on July 18, 1998. New York also had a 24-point loss in last season’s opener at Cleveland.

Sting 59, Silver Stars 57: With time running out, Tynesha Lewis took advice from her teammates.

After Charlotte’s set play broke down, Lewis took the ball to the basket for a driving layup at the buzzer that gave the Sting a victory over San Antonio in Charlotte, N.C.

“The play wasn’t for me,” said Lewis, who scored just four points. “Before the play (Dawn Staley) said ‘When in doubt, take it to the basket.’ Well, I was in doubt so I went to the basket.”

Tammy Sutton-Brown had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Charlotte Smith-Taylor added 10 points for the Sting (4-5), who have won two straight after a four-game losing streak.

LaToya Thomas had 19 points and seven rebounds, including a tying putback with 9.1 seconds left for the Silver Stars (3-7), who have lost six in a row.