Comets drop first game back from break
Published on August 29, 2008 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Houston Comets News Release
Sue Bird shook off any remaining jet lag to score 22 points, and the Seattle Storm started the post-Olympic break with an impressive 66-49 victory over the Houston Comets on Thursday night.
On the day reigning WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson underwent ankle surgery in Australia that will keep her out for the rest of the regular season, Bird and her teammates showed the Storm can survive without one of the best players in the world.
Seattle went 3-2 in five games without Jackson before the Olympic break. The Storm (18-9) remained one-half game behind San Antonio in the Western Conference, and improved to 14-1 at home. Bird, who was asked to be a distributor for the gold medal-winning U.S. team in Beijing, rekindled her scoring ability in the first half against Houston. Bird had 15 points in the first half for Seattle, which scored the first seven points and never trailed. Sure there was rust, as Seattle had not played since beating Sacramento on July 27. Bird shook her head in disgust when a pick-and-roll with Yolanda Griffith resulted in a turnover and three-point play for Houston's Roneeka Hodges, who had 10 points. But Seattle won for the 10th time in 12 games thanks to Bird's offensive effort and a stellar defensive performance, holding Houston to a season-low in points and field goal percentage.
Sancho Lyttle had 10 points, but the Comets' top reserve had to be carried off the court with 6 minutes left in the game after appearing to injure her left leg. Lyttle was one of the few Comets to have her shooting touch. Houston missed its first five shots and never recovered from the slow start, shooting just 28 percent. Already leading 38-24 at halftime thanks to Bird's outstanding first half, Seattle put the game away early in the third quarter. Bird started Seattle's 14-2 run with a driving three-point play. The Storm held Houston scoreless for more than 7 minutes and Houston made just three shots the entire quarter. Swin Cash, who had six points for the Storm, was fined by coach Brian Agler during the Olympic break for not staying in Seattle and working out with the team, instead spending time in New York doing commentary on the Olympic basketball games.
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- Comets drop first game back from break - Houston Comets
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