Swin Cash leads Seattle Storm to a 99-80 victory over Los Angeles Sparks - WNBA Recap
Three days after being beaten by the red-hot Indiana Fever, the Seattle Storm were determined not to have another letdown.
Five Seattle players scored in double figures and the team shot at 54.7 percent from the field to bounce back with a 99-80 victory over the already stumbling Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday night. With this defeat, the Sparks fell to 0-6 on the road.
On the night, Swin Cash decided to focus on her scoring and she reminded everyone that nobody does that better than her at Key Arena. The 31-year-old turned the game in the Seattle’s favour in the third quarter, when she pounded 16 of her game high 26 points. Cash also grabbed four rebounds and stole the ball twice. The forward hit 9 for 17 from the field and 7 for 8 from free throw line on the night.
Storm coach Brian Agler praised the brilliant output of Cash in the victory and said, "I thought Swin was really persistent tonight in her play and just constantly aggressive on the offensive end." "She got to the free throw line a lot, got some finishes, got some offensive boards, and played good defence. That's why she's such a good player."
Tanisha Wright racked up 21 points and three steals while shooting 6 for 11 from the floor, 2 for 4 from three-point range and 7 for 8 from the line. Sue Bird added 17 points and eight assists and Katie Smith came off the bench with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists for Storm, who beat Los Angeles for the eighth straight games in Seattle since a defeat in 2006. Lecoe Willingham ended with 12 points and seven rebounds for Seattle, who have won four of their previous six games.
Jantel Lavender played the best game of her career in her first start for Los Angeles, punctuating a career-high 21 points and grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. DeLisha Milton scored 19 points, shooting 7 for 12 from the floor, grabbed five rebounds and had two steals. Kristi Toliver ended with 17 points and five assists for the Sparks in their third consecutive game without former league MVP Candace Parker. Toliver was hot from 3-point range, nailing 5 of 9 three-pointers.
Sparks got off to a strong start and held a 17-11 lead with nearly two minutes to go in the first quarter. Seattle responded with five consecutive points to cut the deficit to one, 17-16 but Los Angeles finished with a 4-2 stretch to take a 21-18 lead into the second.
Seattle fought hard early in the second quarter and tied the game at 23-23. The teams maintained parity during the rest of the period and that was summed up on the last two possessions of the frame. Wright’s lay-up with 01:07 to go in the second period gave Seattle a point lead, 38-37. However, Milton-Jones immediately drove to the rim to put Los Angeles ahead by 39-38 at halftime.
In the third quarter though, it all changed. Cash erupted with 16 points after the break, shooting 5 of 7 from the floor and 6 of 6 free throws, as Seattle carried a 70-60 advantage, heading into the last quarter. Leading by ten points after three Seattle stretched their lead to as many as 17 points, 62-79, with 07:41 to go in the fourth quarter and were never threatened again.
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