Storm earn first playoff victory

With the WNBA’s reigning MVP Lauren Jackson in early foul trouble, the Seattle Storm reserves chipped in 23 points for their first playoff win in franchise history.

Jackson scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half to guide the Storm past the Minnesota Lynx 70-58 Saturday in the first game of their WNBA Western Conference semifinal series at Minneapolis.

Jackson, the league’s top scorer at 20.5 points per game, picked up her third foul with 16:22 to play in the first half.

“I was probably the best cheerer on the bench,” Jackson said. “They played awesome. It was tough sitting, but I knew I’d get my chance in the second half.”

Sheri Sam added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Storm, whose reserves outscored Minnesota’s 23-11.

Nicole Ohlde led Minnesota with 17 points, and Tamika Williams added 16 points and eight rebounds. Minnesota shot 44 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers.

The Lynx took advantage with Jackson sidelined, turning a 9-1 deficit into a 22-16 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. But the Storm used a 16-2 run – behind 10 points from their reserves – to lead 32-24 at halftime.

Jackson returned strong, shooting 4 for 4 from the floor and the free-throw line in the second half, picking up only one more foul as the Storm pulled away.

“I thought she showed a lot of guts in the second half,” Storm coach Anne Donovan said. “To pick up three quick fouls and have to sit there and watch the rest of the half, then come back with a strong performance shows how tough she is.”

The Storm played without starting guard Betty Lennox in the second half. She scored eight points before sustaining a mild concussion in a first-half collision with a Lynx player.

That put even more pressure on Seattle’s reserves, and Alicia Thompson, Janell Burse, Simone Edwards, Tully Bevilaqua, Adia Barnes and Michelle Greco contributed to the win by combining for 23 points.

“We really needed our bench to step up, and they did,” Donovan said.

Amanda Lassiter hit three 3-pointers in a 13-0, first-half Lynx run, and they appeared on the verge of burying Seattle.

“I was liking our chances halfway through the first half,” said Minnesota coach Suzie McConnell Serio. “But those 20 turnovers, and the 20 points they scored off them, really hurt us.”

The Storm, who went 2-1 against Minnesota in the regular season, have two chances to finish off the best-of-3 series in Seattle on Monday and Wednesday, if necessary.

“It’ll be tough, but we’ve beaten people on their home court before,” Ohlde said. “We’ve got to go out and scrap and fight.”

Mystics 67, Sun 59: At Washington, Chasity Melvin had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Washington past Connecticut in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Alana Beard added 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Mystics. Stacey Dales-Schuman and Aiysha Smith scored 10 points apiece.

Lindsay Whalen led the Sun with 16 points. Former Mystic Asjha Jones scored 14 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 11 points and nine rebounds.

The best-of-3 series resumes Monday night at Connecticut.

Two WNBA honors for Lynx

McConnell Serio was honored as WNBA coach of the year after guiding Minnesota to a second consecutive playoff berth despite the loss of leading scorer Katie Smith to a knee injury with 11 games left.

Teresa Edwards, the 40-year-old Lynx guard, won the Kim Perrot sportsmanship award. Edwards and McConnell Serio were Olympic teammates in 1988 and 1992.

McConnell Serio edged Connecticut coach Mike Thibault by one vote.

She received 15 of 48 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters.