Storm opener a rout

With Lauren Jackson limited by foul trouble, Wendy Palmer made a lasting first impression on her new team.

Palmer scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in her first game with Seattle, and Jackson added 23 as the Storm opened the season with a 90-67 rout of the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday night in Seattle.

“Absolutely, but I didn’t worry about that,” Palmer said of her first impression on Seattle. “I’ve been around. I think they know who Wendy Palmer is.”

Palmer started in place of Janell Burse, who has been bothered with a shoulder injury, and had 10 of Seattle’s 16 rebounds in the first half. Los Angeles coach Joe Bryant said Palmer looked “like she was 18.”

“She went in there and did an old school lesson on us,” Bryant said.

Jackson was stuck on the sidelines for most of the preseason as Seattle’s coaches tried to limit the strain on her injured shins. Finally given free rein, she found herself back on the bench less than three minutes into the opener after picking up two fouls, and played just six minutes in the first half.

No problem. The All-Star waited until the second half to take over, when she made 6 of 8 shots for 16 points.

“That was pretty frustrating,” Jackson said. “I sat all preseason, so it was important for me to get out there and run around and not have any restrictions on time.”

With Jackson on the bench, Sue Bird carried the scoring for Seattle, scoring 10 of her 13 points in the first half. Bird made her first five shots, and added nine assists and a franchise-record seven steals. Seattle coach Anne Donovan asked Bird during the preseason to be more aggressive offensively and called Bird’s performance “perfect.”

Lisa Leslie led the Sparks with 24 points, but fouled out with 4:08 left on Jackson’s three-point play. Los Angeles couldn’t make up for the absence of Chamique Holdsclaw.

The All-Star forward missed the opener while tending to family issues on the East Coast. Holdsclaw left the Sparks last weekend with permission, and coach Joe Bryant would not put a timetable on her return.

Holdsclaw averaged 17 points and 6.8 rebounds last year with Los Angeles – her first with the Sparks.

Silver Stars 79, Comets 63: At Houston, Vickie Johnson scored 18 points and rookie Shanna Zolman added 15 to help San Antonio beat the Comets in the season opener for both teams.

Sheryl Swoopes scored 19 points for the Comets, and Michelle Snow added 13.