Houston Comets vs Atlanta Dream Game Recap 2008-06-16

June 16, 2008 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Houston Comets News Release


HOUSTON (AP) - Michelle Snow had a season-high 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Houston Comets to an 88-79 win over the winless Atlanta Dream on Monday night. Atlanta (0-10), still looking for the first win in franchise history, became the third team in WNBA history to start a season with 10 straight losses. The Detroit Shock lost its first 13 in 2003, and Houston lost a franchise-record 10 in a row to start last season. Snow had her first double-double of the season and Tina Thompson added 12 points and a season-high seven assists as the Comets (3-7) improved to 3-1 at home and won-back-to-back games for the first time this season. Matee Ajavon had 12 points and Shannon Johnson added 11 for Houston, which has won three of five overall since losing its first five games of the season. The Comets had five players reach double-digits in scoring as Erica White added 10 points. Betty Lennox, the only player to start every game for the Dream, led the way with a season high-tying 29 points and 11 rebounds. Ivory Latta added 21 points and Tamera Young grabbed 10 rebounds for Atlanta, which allowed 22 points on 21 turnovers. The Comets broke open a close game early in the second quarter when Thompson and Snow teamed up to score seven points in a 9-4 run. Atlanta then hit three 3-pointers in the next 3 minutes in an 11-5 run to get back within five with 3:52 left in the half. But Houston, which made 47 percent (17-of-36) of its shots in the first 20 minutes, scored four points in the final 18 seconds to take a 45-35 lead into the break. Five quick points to start the third quarter gave the Comets their biggest lead of the game, 50-35. However, the Dream outworked Houston pull to 65-64 with 58 seconds left in the third. Lennox and Latta combined to make 10 straight free throws during a 10-0 run, but the Comets got layups by Ajavon and Mistie Williams in the final 38 seconds to take a 69-64 lead going into the final period.

Comets Next Practice: Tuesday, June 17 at 1 p.m. at Reliant Arena. *Media availability begins at 1:15 p.m.* (subject to change)

Comets' Next Games:

June 18 at 7:30 p.m. CDT vs. Washington Mystics (Reliant Arena)

June 21 at 7 p.m. CDT at Minnesota Lynx (Target Center)

June 24 at 8 p.m. CDT at San Antonio Silver Stars (AT&T Center)

Houston Comets Head Coach Karleen Thompson

On Tonight's Game

"I feel like we played the game from start to finish and we did not lose focus. We had a little lapse in there where we got a little tired and we were able to come back with the second unit and bring back some more energy. I think our key players were our bench players who came in and were ready to play. The bench players just kicked us up another notch and enabled us to finish it off."

On Play in the Fourth Quarter

"We wanted to come out and be aggressive. We wanted to really focus on our defense and just kind of let it flow because I think so many times we focus so much on the score that we just kind of stop playing. If we are up we look at the score and think we have a cushion, if we are down it puts us in a rush where we start forcing things. We just really wanted to focus on our defense and come out and not allow them to score. That is exactly what we did."

On the Team Play

"It is great. It enables you to work all different plays. Tina Thompson having seven assists is very crucial for us. She is going to be a passer a lot of the time because people still key in on her. That is because we have so many other scorers that they have to come off of her and she will still be able to score down-low. We can pound the ball inside, which we did with forty points in the paint."

On the Rookies

"Their heart is what I love most about them. It is their confidence and their ability to just be willing to listen and learn. That is what makes them great players. They may not be top in the rookie list but they are in there. They are definitely making a great show for us."

Houston Comets Matee Ajavon

On Defensive Play

"Coach just told us that anybody who is coming off of the bench needs to bring their energy. Just play hard and continue to run the other team."

On Play in the Fourth Quarter

"They had the momentum and we had a couple stops defensively."

Houston Comets Michelle Snow

On Play Tonight

"I think we came out and did what we had to do from the jump. We played forty minutes once again and even when we fell the energy level stayed up. We went at the other team, attacked them and played on our heels, which is what we had to do. We also won on the boards which was very important for us. If you run, get boards, and play defense for forty minutes you are supposed to win the game."

On First Double-Double of the Season

"I told Coach Karleen to stop taking me out when I had nine rebounds and I would have had about three or four double-doubles."

Atlanta Dream Head Coach Marynell Meadors

On Betty Lenox and Ivory Latta compared to the other players

"I think the post players have to command the ball inside. I mean they took fifteen shots all of them. Together, they took fifteen shots the whole game. And they've got to take more shots than that. It's hard to score and win games just having guards score. You can't just rely on that jump shot or that three point shot. We've got to have some inside play out of our post players."

Atlanta Dream guard Ivory Latta

On Tonight's Loss and Trying to Stay Positive

"That's what I'm here for. I'm the energizer bunny. But I'm also here to make sure that everybody stays high and stays up and make sure everybody stays positive. If we have any negativity then were not going to get that first win. But we're going to be alright."

Atlanta Dream guard Betty Lennox

On Tonight's Loss

"I'm the type of person that I'm able to get mine and I'm able to get my teammates involved. And I think we did a good job tonight, it's just that things got a little out of control. I'm proud of my team, we fought till the end. And we just got to look forward to the next opportunity and keep moving forward."



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 16, 2008


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