Sacramento Monarchs notebook

Published on July 12, 2005 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Sacramento Monarchs News Release


2005 WNBA ALL-STAR GAME RECAP

The Western Conference extended its WNBA All-Star game unbeaten streak to six games with a 122-99 routing over the East. Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith and DeMya Walker made significant contributions in the record-setting game. In her fifth appearance at the mid-season contest, Griffith scored her second All-Star Game double-double. She totaled 12 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor. She also grabbed 14 rebounds, tying the record previously set by Lisa Leslie, and added one block. In Walker's All-Star debut, the reserve forward added five points as the West topped the record for team points in a game by 38. Walker also pulled down one rebound and added a steal and a block in the win.

Outlook for the Week

Thursday, July 14 vs. San Antonio Silver Stars, 11:30 A.M. PDT at ARCO Arena (televised on News10)

Saturday, July 16 vs. Washington Mystics, 7:00 P.M. PDT at ARCO Arena (televised on Comcast Sports Net)

Tuesday, July 19 at Houston Comets, 5:00 P.M. PDT at Toyota Center (televised on ESPN2)

*All games can be heard on Sports 1140 KHTK with Jim Kozimor and Krista Blunk calling the action.

Monarchs to celebrate Monty's birthday and Kids Day on July 14

The Monarchs are excited to celebrate Monty's Birthday and Kids Day during their upcoming game versus the San Antonio Silver Stars on Thursday, July 14. Kids will be incorporated into all aspects of the game's presentation, including assisting as the music DJ, game director, statistician, and Monty's assistant. There will also be an assortment of pre-game festivities such as face painting and poster making stations on the arena concourse. Mascots from around the WNBA and NBA have been invited to help Monty celebrate, including Haley (Houston Comets), Doppler (Seattle Storm), Air Squatch (Seattle Supersonics) and Zap (Detroit Shock). Of course, the Sacramento Kings very own Slamson will also be on hand for the festivities! Fans can meet Monty and friends from 10:30-11:00am on the concourse next to section 124.

Injury Report

Kara Lawson - mild left ankle sprain (day-to-day)

Erin Buescher - lumbar strain (on injured reserve)

Sui Feifei - left knee contusion/sprain (on injured reserve)

Did you Know?

Tying the Best Start in Franchise History Sacramento currently ties their best start in franchise history at 11-5. The team was off to this same impressive start in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. The Monarchs are in first place in the Western Conference. The only team with a better record is the Eastern Conference's Connecticut Sun (12-3).

Monarchs for Three (since 1999)

Sacramento has made at least one, 3-pointer in every game since the beginning of the 1999 season. That's 212 consecutive games that the Monarchs have netted a 3-pointer, at least once, from behind the arc.

Sacramento's Youth Movement

With the Sacramento roster more than half full of new, young faces, the Monarchs now have an average age of 25.7 years old compared to their 28 years old average from last seasons roster.

Double Digits

-DeMya Walker has scored in double figures in 16 of 16 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs seven times.

-Yolanda Griffith has scored in double figures in 14 of 16 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs six times.

-Nicole Powell has scored in double figures in 8 of 16 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs four times.

Monarchs Approaching Milestones

Yolanda Griffith - 6 games away from her 200th - Grabbed her 1,000th defensive rebound on July 3rd at Seattle.

Hamchétou Maїga - 5 games away from her 100th - Played her 1,000th minute for the Monarchs on June 30th at New York

Ticha Penicheiro - Dished out her 1,500th career assist on July 1st at Detroit.

Seeing Double-Double

Yolanda Griffith has posted four double-doubles in 2005 (fourth in the WNBA). She now has 76 double-doubles in her WNBA career.

Griffith WNBA's All-Time Offensive Rebound Leader

Yolanda Griffith is the WNBA's all-time offensive rebound leader. She currently has 774 career offensive rebounds.

Penicheiro WNBA's All-Time Assist Leader

On June 17, 2004 at Minnesota, Ticha Penicheiro became the WNBA's all-time assist leader. She currently has 1,506 career assists.

Next Game:

Vs. San Antonio Silver Stars, July 14, 11:30 A.M. PDT at ARCO Arena

In the second of four meetings with the Silver Stars this season, the Monarchs will host San Antonio at ARCO Arena on July 14th at 11:30 A.M. The game will be televised locally on News10. Yolanda Griffith and DeMya Walker will be the only two players to have participated in the WNBA All-Star game. The remainder of the Sacramento squad will be coming off a 10-day break after their July 3rd contest with Seattle.

Quotables

San Antonio Silver Stars head coach Dan Hughes, May 27, 2005 at San Antonio:

Yolanda Griffith is the player that was the difference maker. She's a big time player. She is hard to guard and plays with a lot of pride.

San Antonio Silver Stars forward LaToya Thomas, September 2, 2004 vs. San Antonio:

Sacramento has a great team; they have the best front line.... They're a talented team and if they're on fire it's hard to stop them.

Sacramento Monarchs head coach John Whisenant, May 27, 2005 at San Antonio:

San Antonio is a team that will continue to get better. Coach Hughes and his staff are doing a good job with taking young centers and improving them and getting the best out of them. We feel fortunate to get out of here with a win. We didn't play our best but I was proud of my team and they competed hard. Yolanda Griffith showed why she's an Olympian and future hall-of-famer in the WNBA. If we didn't have Yolanda, we wouldn't have traded Chantelle Anderson here.

Monarchs/Silver Stars Connections

Silver Stars center Chantelle Anderson (2003-2004) and guard Edna Campbell (2001-04) are both former members of the Monarchs.

Silver Stars guard Nikki McCray ('95) and forward Shyra Ely ('05) and Monarchs guard Kara Lawson ('03) all graduated from Tennessee. Ely and Lawson were teammates for two seasons (2001-03).

Forward Wendy Palmer-Daniel ('96) of the San Antonio and Sacramento forward DeMya Walker ('99) both graduated from Virginia and were teammates for one season (1995-96).

Upcoming Games:

Saturday, July 16 vs. Washington Mystics, 7:00 P.M. PDT at ARCO Arena

In their second and final meeting of the 2005 season, the Monarchs will host the Mystics at 7:00 P.M. on July 16 at ARCO Arena, a game to be televised on Comcast Sports Net. After a win in Washington last month, Sacramento will look to secure a sweep of the Mystics with another victory. Washington will be in the middle of a difficult five-game road trip against the best teams in the Western Conference. They will also have played the night before in Phoenix.

Quotables

Sacramento Monarchs head coach John Whisenant, June 26, 2005 at Washington

"They did a very good job against a very good team. This was a very good team that has gotten progressively better. Even though they were only .500, they started with Alana (Beard) on injury and Delisha (Milton-Jones) out of the country and Richie (Adubato) a new coach and he's a heck of a good coach. They were playing like a team that could have been ten-and-two instead of a team that is six-and-six. We came in here with determination and energy and got one."

Washington Mystics head coach Richie Adubato, June 26, 2005 at Washington

"This was a game of two halves. We have the first half and the second half. In the first half they came out and controlled the game and got the shots they wanted. They had us by 18 points in the first half. They are leading the Western Conference, so when you have someone with that type of talent you can't give up that kind of lead. It is very hard to come back and beat them. In the second half we did a great job. They only scored 22 points the entire second half. Everything has to go right for you to comeback from a deficit like that...and it almost did."

Mystics guard-forward Alana Beard, July 18, 2004 at ARCO Arena

"I think the Monarchs did a great job pressuring us, picking the ball up early and taking us out of our offense, pushing us away from the goal, we were back on our heels the entire second half. I think anytime a team does that defensively, it's best to combat that with aggressive play but we didn't, we were back on our heels."

Sacramento Monarchs guard Ticha Penicheiro, September 7, 2004 at Washington:

"Alana Beard is a big game player. I am a fan of hers and she was very aggressive all game. She has great instincts, which will make a key player in this league."

Monarchs/Mystics Connections

Yolanda Griffith played with Washington Mystics forward DeLisha Milton-Jones on the gold medal-winning 2000 U.S. National Team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Tuesday, July 19 at Houston Comets, 5:00 P.M. PDT at Toyota Center

The Monarchs travel to Houston for their first road game after the All-Star break and their only game at Toyota Center during the 2005 season. The Monarchs will look to extend their unbeaten streak versus the Comets to five games. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

Quotables

Sacramento Monarchs guard/forward Nicole Powell, June 13, 2005 at Sacramento On shooting 4 of 5 (80%) from 3-point range in the 2nd half...

"It was a combination of things. The teammates, confidence and once you hit one or two you feel you can hit the rest. You need to find the right balance. If you're open and you have a shot you have to take it."

Houston Comets head coach Van Chancellor, June 13, 2005 at Sacramento:

"I thought our team played extremely well tonight. I was really pleased with them. A really good team beat us tonight and they played really well. I was really pleased with all the physical contact during the game and how our team reacted to it. There was one physical play after another. We out-rebounded a tough team and Powell just made some great shots. So give her credit."

Sacramento Monarchs head coach John Whisenant, June 25, 2004 vs. Houston:

"Yo is a warrior around the basket. She's not someone you isolate to get shots, but goes and gets them herself. Ticha's value is that she is competitive and she runs the team."

Houston Comets head coach Van Chancellor, June 25, 2004 at Sacramento:

"I thought offensive rebounding and turnovers just killed us, especially in the second half. Tell (Yolanda Griffith) she made the Olympic team; she doesn't have to try and show me that."

Monarchs/Comets Connections

Comets guard Adrienne Goodson graduated from Old Dominion in 1988, while Monarchs guard Ticha Penicheiro graduated in 1998 and Monarchs guard/forward Hamchétou Maïga graduated in 2001.

Michigan State produced both Comets forward Kristen Rasmussen in 2000 and Monarchs guard Kristin Haynie in 2005.

Houston center Michelle Snow and Sacramento guard Kara Lawson were teammates at the University of Tennessee for three years (1999-02). Snow graduated in 2002 while Lawson graduated in 2003. Lawson and Snow were also teammates on the 2003 WNBA Select Team that participated in the FIBA Women's World Cup.

Houston head coach Van Chancellor coached Comets forwards Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, along with Monarchs guard Ticha Penicheiro and forward Yolanda Griffith on the 1999 and 2000 WNBA All-Star Game West Teams. He also coached Thompson, Penicheiro, and Griffith again on the West Team for the 2001 WNBA All-Star Game.

Swoopes, Thompson and Penicheiro were teammates on the West Team for the 2002 WNBA All-Star Game. While Griffith, Swoopes and Walker were all teammates on the Western Team for the 2005 WNBA All-Star game.

Sacramento guard Ticha Penicheiro and Houston forward Sheryl Swoopes both played for UMMC in Ekaterinburg, Russia during the 2003 FIBA Women's World Cup.

Monarchs forward Yolanda Griffith and Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes were teammates on the gold-medal winning USA Women's Basketball team in the 2000 Olympic Games. Comets forward Tina Thompson joined the pair on the 2004 USA Women's Basketball team that won the gold medal again in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Comets head coach Van Chancellor coached these three players on the 2004 gold medal squad.

Last Game Recap:

July 3, 2005 at Seattle - L, 74-67 (KeyArena)

The Storm snapped a four-game losing streak in their return to Seattle as they topped the visiting Monarchs 74-67. Lauren Jackson's 17 and Suzy Batkovic's nine points led the Storm to a lead of as many as 21 points in the first half. Sacramento had trouble stopping Seattle's 59.3 percent first-half shooting percentage. The Storm's 48 first-half points were the most scored in against Sacramento in a half this season.

The Monarchs would return in the second half to outscore the Storm 37-26, including an 11-3 run. In addition, Sacramento's strong defense reduced Seattle's shooting to 31 percent after intermission and helped the Monarchs to close within 2 points (63-61) with under four minutes remaining. Jackson and Batkovic, however, surged again to lead an 11-6 run, hold the Monarchs scoreless in the final minute and close out the game 74-67.

Lauren Jackson finished the night with a game-leading 31 points and 13 rebounds. DeMya Walker led the Monarchs with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The contest marked the final game of a five-game, 10-day road trip that Sacramento finished 3-2. The Monarchs can now recuperate through the All-Star break. Their next contest is at home versus San Antonio on July 14.

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 12, 2005


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