Comets come up short to Sacramento
May 31, 2008 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Houston Comets News Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif.(AP) Nicole Powell scored 16 points to lead the Sacramento Monarchs in a 73-66 victory over the winless Houston Comets on Friday night. Ticha Penicheiro and Laura Harper both had 11 points for the Monarchs (2-3), who never trailed. Kara Lawson and Adrian Williams-Strong added 10 points each.
Tina Thompson had 14 points and nine rebounds and Matee Ajavon also scored 14 for poor-shooting Houston (0-4), which stayed in the game by making 23 of 27 free throws. Erica White had 13 points and Tamecka Dixon added 12.
White pulled the Comets even for only the second time all game, making her first career 3-pointer to tie the game 61-61 with 4:44 remaining. But Powell made a jumper to start a 10-0 run that included five straight free throws by Harper, a rookie from Maryland. The Comets, who shot 29 percent, went scoreless for more than 4 minutes before Ajavon hit a jumper with 30 seconds left in the game. The Monarchs won their season-opener at home, then lost three straight games on the road. A year ago, Sacramento recorded 12 of its 19 victories at Arco Arena.
Houston is off to another difficult start under second-year coach Karleen Thompson. A year ago the Comets lost their first 10 games. This year's winless start includes an overtime loss to Minnesota earlier this week in their home opener. The Comets are one of three teams without a win, joining defending champion Phoenix (0-3) and expansion Atlanta (0-4). Powell scored eight points in a physical third quarter, connecting on several perimeter shots and helping the Monarchs take a 56-53 lead into the fourth. Despite a cold spell in the second quarter, the Monarchs still went into halftime with a 38-33 lead. Penicheiro had 11 points and Williams-Strong scored 10.
Thompson scored 10 points for the Comets, who shot 23 percent in the opening half.
Although the Monarchs jumped out to a 16-2 lead, it didn't last. Houston missed its first seven shots, but converted 13 of 14 free throws and pulled to 25-22 heading into the second period. The quarter featured 28 free throws.
Comets' Next Games:
June1 at 6:00 p.m. PDT at Seattle Storm in Key Arena
June 3 at 7:30 p.m. CDT vs. San Antonio Silver Stars at Reliant Arena.
Houston Comets Head Coach & General Manager Karleen Thompson
On what the team should have done to get back into the game
"You just can't let a team in this league go up by fourteen or fifteen points at the beginning of the game. You use a lot of energy to try to come back. We did do a great job of getting back in the game. We just didn't execute and we turned the ball over. We definitely have to start off games with more energy than we did tonight."
Houston Comets Forward Tina Thompson
On struggling to get a lead
"We played very well defensively. We had a couple of breakdowns and the Monarchs went up but it was kind of like a seesaw battle, back and forth. We broke down again in the end and we kind of turned it over a little bit and they just ended up taking the lead."
On the number of fouls called
"Usually when we play this team it gets pretty physical but we match up with each other well. It happens."
Houston Comets Guard, Erica White
On her solid free throw shooting
"I am pretty good at shooting free throws. That's my mentality and if I can't make a basket then I'll try to get to the free throw line and contribute that way."
Sacramento Monarchs Head Coach Jenny Boucek
Thoughts on the Game
"Our offense really lives off of our defense so when our defense started going so did our offense."
On the play of Laura Harper
"She had a slow first half but we need her. She really came out strong and was huge in the second half for us."
On the play of the bench and rookies
"We are green, so we really depend on our bench and our rookies a lot. They are a really big part of what we try to do."
Sacramento Monarchs Guard Ticha Penicheiro
On her early assertiveness on offense
"I just really enjoy being home, you know we went out and lost three on the road and I just was glad to be home playing and getting this win."
On the hit she took to the face in the fourth quarter
"Yeah it's like a boxing match out there but we got the knock out, we won."
On the play of the rookies
"They are really important for us, we will need them to try and accomplish what we want to do this season."
Sacramento Monarchs Center Adrian Williams-Strong
On getting the win at home
"Yeah it's great to be home and get the win. It was a long road trip and I'm glad to be home."
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 31, 2008
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- Lynx Guard Seimone Augustus Among Nine Players Selected to the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Team - Minnesota Lynx
- Comets come up short to Sacramento - Houston Comets
- Owner Hilton Koch Supports World Food Programme's Efforts to End World Hunger - Houston Comets
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