Storm power past Silver Stars

SEATTLE — Tanisha Wright had 16 points and Lauren Jackson scored six of her 13 in the fourth quarter to help the Seattle Storm beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 63-55 on Tuesday night. Sue Bird and Camille Little added 12 points each for Seattle (15-12), which moved 11/2 games ahead of the Silver Stars for third place in the Western Conference. Sophia Young scored 14 and Jia Perkins 11 to lead San Antonio (13-13), which dropped its fourth straight and is just 11/2 games ahead of Los Angeles for the fourth and final playoff berth in the West. Becky Hammon scored only four points for the Silver Stars, 12.8 below her average. She was 2 of 10 from the field, including 0 of 4 from 3-point range. Bird become the 16th WNBA player to reach 4,000 points. Seattle used a 10-4 run at the start of the fourth quarter to open a 51-46 lead with 4:56 left. Perkins responded with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two before Jackson hit an inside basket and Wright made two free throws to put the Storm up by six. Ruth Riley and Perkins each scored four to help San Antonio to a 42-41 lead after three quarters. Hammon, who had missed her first five shots, hit a 7-footer with 4 seconds left to put the Silver Stars up 28-26 at halftime, their first lead of the game. Young scored 10 in the first half to help San Antonio rally from a 10-0 deficit. The Silver Stars shot 3 of 16 (18.8 percent) from the field in the first quarter but hit 8 of 19 in the second to outscore the Storm 19-10. Wright scored six in the opening quarter to help give the Storm a 16-7 lead. Bird had four in the first quarter to reach 4,000 career points. The Silver Stars have lost eight straight in Seattle since a win in 2007.