WNBA Roundup – June 4, 2011: Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun win – Part 1
Four games took place in the Women National Basketball Association (WNBA) on June 4, the second day of the 2011season.
Here is a brief insight into the match-ups:
Seattle Storm 78 - Phoenix Mercury 71
Forward Camille Little scored a team-high 18 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, and grabbed nine rebounds as the Seattle Storm cruised past the Phoenix Mercury 78-71 in the season opener for both teams.
Lauren Jackson had 15 points and seven rebounds for Storm while guard Sue Bird finished with 13 points and a game-high 10 assists for the defending WNBA champions.
Mercury guard Diana Taurasi led all scorers with 31 points, shooting 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Despite having early foul trouble, the 28-year-old made 11-of-20 shots in the first half. Penny Taylor added 13 points and five
assists while Candice Dupree racked up 12 points and nine rebounds in the defeat.
Seattle, who also won the title in 2004, headed the first half of the game and held a 40-35 lead at the halftime. Mercury continued to play sloppy basketball throughout the third quarter as the Storm got an opportunity to widen
its lead to 60-47 after three quarters.
Trailing by 13 points after three quarters, Mercury made a marginal comeback in the final stanza. The dazzling Taurasi scored 11 of her points in the closing minutes as Phoenix cut the deficit to just five with 16 seconds remaining.
However, the Seattle’s lead was a bit too much to overcome in the closing seconds.
Connecticut Sun 89 - Washington Mystics 73
Centre Tina Charles scored a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds as the Connecticut Sun opened the 2011 season with an 89-73 victory over the Washington Mystics at Mohegan Sun Arena. Guard Renee Montgomery added 15 points, shooting
4-for-4 from free throw line, while forward Asjha Jones ended with 14 points and seven rebounds in the victory.
Danielle McCray came off the bench with 14 points for the Sun, hitting all five shots she hit, including four three-pointers. Crystal Langhorne and Nicky Anosike led the Mystics with 16 points each while guard Kelly Miller totalled
10 points and four assists in the defeat. Langhorne scored 12 of her 16 points in the first quarter
Forward DeMya Walker scored all of her eight points in the first quarter as the Sun carried a 29-24 lead after 12 minutes. Connecticut continued to play well in the second quarter. They carried a 10-point lead midway through the
quarter and by the time the half ended, they were leading by 45-39.
The Sun outplayed the Mystics 20 -16 in the third quarter and stretched their lead to 65-55, heading into the fourth. Washington never got within 10, the rest of the way and Connecticut walked away with an easy victory.
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