August 24, 2009

WNBA - Seattle Defeated Leading Team Indiana 74-60

By Ally White

After a streak of close games – even losing a few in the final minutes – the Seattle Storm finally won comfortably, beating the WNBA team leader, the Indiana Fever, 74-60 this Saturday. The victory is the second in a row for Seattle; for Indiana, it is a second loss in a row. Nevertheless, the Fever are still in first place in the WNBA standings and in the Eastern Conference with a 19-7 record. The Storm are in second place of the Western Conference with 15-11.

The Storm began the first quarter with some confidence after a 6-0 run in the first two minutes of the game. However, the Fever quickly reacted with several baskets, putting the score in their favor 12-9. Seattle tied again at 14-14 but at the end of the quarter, Indiana’s Katie Douglas scored a jump shot to close the quarter in her team’s favor, 16-14.

In the second quarter, Seattle managed to tie the game again in the first minutes. However, a 6-0 run by the Fever put the score 22-16. But Seattle was determined to again balance the game, searching for the lead. And, with an incredible 21-3 run at the end of the quarter, the Storm gained a 12-point lead and a final halftime score of 37-25.

The Fever players entered the third trying to cut the lead; however, Seattle maintained the lead with some great shots by Sue Bird, who was very consistent during the quarter. In spite of Indiana’s intentions, the third quarter ended with a score of 57-46 in favor of the Seattle Storm. Sue Bird scored 7 points for her team in the quarter, whereas Tamika Catchings made 6 points in the third for Indiana.

In the decisive fourth quarter, the Storm finally took even control of the action, taking a 15-point lead with 7:01 left. But then Ebony Hoffman came to the rescue for Indiana, scoring 6 points in a row. But, in spite of her effort, the run wasn’t enough for her team. In the final minutes of the quarter, 8 free throws between Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird and Tanisha Wright, gave Seattle the victory 70-64.

At the end of the game, Seattle’s point guard, Sue Bird, expressed her happiness and satisfaction with her team performance and the way it finally found a more lucid offense and a more aggressive defense for a more comfortable win.

“We hit a late-season lull. Hopefully it's one of those things where the experience can help us. It can be difficult mentally to always be in these tough games. That's how good the league is, but we definitely joked that this was the first time in a long time that we've won by more than two points," stated Bird.

Seattle had the great contribution of several players, with six players ending in double figures. Those contributors were Sue Bird with 16 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds; Janell Burse with 14 points and 7 rebounds; Tanisha Wright with 12 points and 5 assists and 4 rebounds; Lauren Jackson with 11 points and 8 rebounds; Swin Cash with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists; and ultimately Camille Little with 10 points and 5 rebounds. For the Indiana Fever, the best scorers were Katie Douglas with 12 points and 3 rebounds; Tamika Catchings with 11 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds; Tully Bevilaqua with 10 points and 4 assists; and finally Ebony Hoffman with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

About the Author

Ally White is a top senior copy writer on WNBA games and sports action for the online sports betting: http://www.instantactionsports.com. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.