Mystics bulldoze shellshocked Storm

The Associated Press | The Associated Press • Published July 21, 2008

WASHINGTON - Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 22 points and the Washington Mystics won their first game since coach Tree Rollins was fired, beating Seattle 89-57 Sunday to end the Storm's seven-game winning streak.

Alana Beard tied a career high with nine assists for the Mystics (9-14), who made 10 3-pointers in their first game under interim coach Jessie Kenlaw.

"It feels awesome," said Kenlaw, a former Storm assistant coach who replaced Rollins on Saturday. "I didn't know what to expect. I feel like doing flips it feels so good."

Washington outscored Seattle 25-8 in the second quarter to take a 48-25 lead at halftime.

Katie Gearlds scored 13 points, Sue Bird had 11 and Camille Little had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Storm (15-8), who was held to their lowest scoring output of the season.

"We were just really bad," Bird said. "They played really well and they were aggressive, both offensively and defensively. Tonight, for us, it was just one of those games."

Coming off consecutive demoralizing losses by a combined 58 points, the Mystics played with a sense of urgency right from the start under Kenlaw, who is in her first season with the Mystics after four seasons as an assistant with the Storm. The Mystics set a franchise record with their 23-point halftime lead and the 48 first-half points was a season high for the league's lowest scoring team.

Washington forced Seattle into 23 turnovers and 38 percent shooting from the floor.

"Coach Kenlaw made it clear to us that if we didn't play defense we were going to be sitting," said McWilliams-Franklin, who had four of the team's 19 steals. "That's cut and dry."

The Mystics split the season series with the Storm, who played their second game without All-Star center Lauren Jackson, who is with the Australian Olympic basketball team preparing for the upcoming games.

The Mystics' 64-49 loss to the Storm on June 29 was start of the Storm's winning streak.

Sun 74, Sky 67

At Uncasville, Conn., Asjha Jones had 23 points and 10 rebounds in helping the Sun snap a five-game losing streak with a win over the Sky.

Lindsay Whalen added 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Connecticut, which held the Sky scoreless for 2 minutes, 22 seconds in the fourth period.

The Sun had a 64-63 lead with 3:40 left when rookie guard Amber Holt made a 3-pointer, her first basket of the game. That began a 9-0 run that gave Connecticut a 72-63 lead with 1:18 left.

Holt scored all seven of her points in the last 2:18.

Connecticut (14-10) moved a game ahead of New York for second place in the Eastern Conference.

Monarchs 88, Shock 85

At Auburn Hills, Mich., Kara Lawson's tie-breaking jumper with 39 seconds left helped the Monarchs become the first team to win in Detroit this season.

The Shock hadn't lost at home since Game 5 of last season's WNBA finals, winning their first 10 games at the Palace of Auburn Hills this season.

Rebekkah Brunson led the Monarchs with 18 points and Ticha Penicheiro added 17. Deanna Nolan had 27 for Detroit while Cheryl Ford added 18 points and 10 rebounds.