Monarchs set records in opener

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The defending champion Sacramento Monarchs got off to a record-breaking start in the WNBA finals.

Kara Lawson scored 22 points, Nicole Powell had 21 and DeMya Walker added 17 – each reaching career playoff highs – to lead the Monarchs past the Detroit Shock 95-71 Wednesday night in Game 1, breaking finals scoring records for a half and a game.

The high-scoring trio had at least 11 points each to help Sacramento score a record 53 points in the first half. They helped Sacramento close strongly and break Detroit’s record of 83 points from 2003.