Shock found spark to tie finals series

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Sacramento Monarchs won their first five postseason games and took a lead into the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the WNBA finals at Detroit on Friday night.

That’s when everything fell apart: The Monarchs’ vaunted defensive pressure waned, and the shots that had fallen for 5 1/2 straight games suddenly missed.

The Shock avoided a 0-2 deficit with a rally for a 73-63 victory, and the clubs headed across the country for Game 3 today in a best-of-5 series that seemed far from even in its first seven quarters.

“They had to win (Game 2),” Sacramento coach John Whisenant said. “I think they knew that. They felt going back to our place down 0-2 would have been a very deep hole, but now they are back right where they want to be, right in the thick of things.”

Now the Shock must win at least one game at Arco Arena, where the Monarchs are unbeaten in 10 straight playoff games since 2001. Detroit has been pounded in its two previous trips to Sacramento – a 94-61 loss this season and a 40-point beating in 2005.