Storm slip past Liberty
Jackson helps Seattle end brief two-game slide
SEATTLE – Storm forward Lauren Jackson had one wish.
“That we’d bloody win,” she said after the team’s overtime loss in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Playing more aggressive on offense, Jackson scored 13 of her 21 points in the final quarter to help the Storm beat the New York Liberty 70-69 at KeyArena on Saturday.
Seattle (13-9) had to make it interesting, though.
Once leading by 12 points, Seattle allowed New York (7-14) back into the game with slow defense and missed shots. The Liberty capitalized, using a 7-3 run to take a brief 65-64 lead with 4:45 remaining.
The game seesawed, with Seattle leading 70-69 at the 1:23 mark. After a miss by forward Swin Cash and a turnover by guard Tanisha Wright, who worked hard to collect a steal, the Liberty had a chance to shoot for the win numerous times in the final 13 seconds of regulation.
Instead, the Liberty either turned the ball over or missed at the buzzer. It’s New York’s sixth loss in its past seven games. Seattle halted a two-game slide.
Four of the Storm’s past five games have been overtime matchups, one decided in triple overtime. Seattle departs for a three-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents next week.
Donovan returns
Former Storm coach Anne Donovan returned to Seattle for the first time as a head coach with New York. It was her first since leaving the organization in 2007.
Donovan received a warm ovation when introduced before the game. She was named interim coach July 31 after the Liberty fired Pat Coyle. Coyle is a close friend of Donovan.
“It was very difficult to watch the change, watch Patty be the fall person for our demise,” said Donovan, who was an assistant for three months. “And it was a difficult decision to step in.”
The only woman coach to have won a WNBA championship, Donovan said she hasn’t thought about whether she’d like to be the permanent replacement. This is her fourth WNBA team, the second as an interim coach.
“For me, I want to love where I’m at and I want to love who I’m there with and that’s my situation in New York,” she said. “It’s one day at a time until a decision has to be made.”