Sacramento Monarchs Weekly Update

Published on June 14, 2005 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Sacramento Monarchs News Release


Outlook for the Week

Friday, June 17 vs. Minnesota Lynx, 7:00 P.M. PDT at ARCO Arena

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

Did you Know?

Best Start in Franchise History

Sacramento is beginning the season with the best start in franchise history at 7-2. The 1999 season was the last time the team was off to a great start; the Monarchs were 6-3 nine games into the season. Sacramento currently sits atop the Western Conference, one game ahead of the second-place Seattle Storm. The only team with a better start is the 6-1 Connecticut Sun in the Eastern Conference.

2005 All-Star Balloting Underway

The Monarchs have five players on the All-Star Ballot this year: guards Kara Lawson and Ticha Penicheiro; forwards Rebekkah Brunson and DeMya Walker; and center Yolanda Griffith.

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 205 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

· Yolanda Griffith has scored in double figures in 9 of 9 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs five times.

· DeMya Walker has scored in double figures in 9 of 9 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs twice.

· Nicole Powell has scored in double figures in 5 of 9 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs three times.

Monarchs Approaching Milestones
Yolanda Griffith - 15 points away from her 3,000th
- 13 games away from her 200th
Hamchétou Maїga - 12 games away from her 100th
- 28 minutes away from her 1,000th

Seeing Double-Double

Yolanda Griffith has posted 3 double-doubles in 2005. She now has 75 double-doubles in her WNBA career.

Next Game:

Friday, June 17 vs. Minnesota Lynx, 7:00 P.M. PDT at ARCO Arena The Lynx will visit ARCO Arena on Friday, June 10, when they take on the Monarchs at 7:00 P.M. This will be the second of four meetings between these teams this season. This game has also been designated as Dad's and Daughter's Day, a WNBA-wide initiative to celebrate the bond between dads and daughters. Fathers of Monarchs players will be in attendance. In addition, the first 5,000 fans will receive a free Monarchs Sunshade giveaway.

2005 vs. Lynx
May 29 Sunday Sacramento won, 67-66 at Minnesota
June 17 Friday Sacramento vs. Minnesota, 7:00 p.m. PDT
July 31 Sunday Sacramento vs. Minnesota, 6:00 p.m. PDT
August 27 Saturday Sacramento at Minnesota, 5:00 p.m. PDT

Regular Season Series Notes
Largest Sacramento victory: 91-52, 7-3-01 @ Minnesota (31)
Largest Minnesota victory: 77-59, 7-8-03 @ Minnesota (18)
Most Points, Sacramento: 91-52, 7-3-01 @ Minnesota
Fewest Points, Sacramento: 59-77, 7-8-03 @ Minnesota (twice, most recent)
Most Points, Minnesota: 83-73, 7-11-04 @ Minnesota
Fewest Points, Minnesota: 50-60, 6-17-04 @ Minnesota
Longest winning streak, Sacramento: 4 games, 6-28-00 through 7-3-01
Longest winning streak, Minnesota: 3 games, 7-8-03 through 5-22-04
Monarchs last home win: 9-19-04, 72-63
Monarchs last road win: 5-29-05, 67-66
Current streak: Monarchs won 2, last loss 7-11-04 (83-73 OT)

Quotables

Minnesota Lynx head coach Suzie McConnell Serio, August 9, 2003 vs. Minnesota: "The crowd (ARCO Arena) was incredible; the intensity on the floor, there's nothing like it. This game really had playoff atmosphere."

Monarchs/Lynx Connections

Erin Buescher was originally drafted by the Minnesota Lynx 23rd overall in the 2001 WNBA Draft. She played one season with Minnesota averaging 5.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.9 bpg and 22.7 mpg.

Minnesota guard Nuria Martinez was originally selected by the Monarchs in the third round (30th overall) of the 2004 WNBA Draft.

Katie Smith played with Yolanda Griffith on the gold medal-winning 2000 U.S. National Team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia they were also teammates for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Monarchs guard-forward Nicole Powell was a 2004 graduate of Stanford while Lynx guard Susan King Borchardt graduated in 2005. They were on the Cardinal roster together for four seasons (2000-2004).

Monarchs guard-forward Erin Buescher played for the University of California Santa Barbara for three seasons (1997-2000). Lynx rookie forward Kristen Mann played at UCSB from 2000-2005.

Recent Game Recaps:

Vs. Houston 6/13/05

A clutch second-half performance by forward Nicole Powell propelled the Sacramento Monarchs to a 74-68 victory over the Houston Comets on Monday at ARCO Arena. In a closely contested match up, Powell led the Monarchs with 18 points, including four 3-pointers in the second half. Her 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining tied the game at 66. Less than a minute later, she knocked down another 3-pointer to give Sacramento the lead for good.

Sacramento's 25 fouls, coupled with Houston's success at the free throw line, enabled the Comets to keep the game close. The Comets shot 87.1 percent from the charity stripe, missing only 4-of-31 attempts for the night. The game was tied 11 times and involved 10 lead changes. The final point-margin of 6 was the largest for either team throughout the game.

Yolanda Griffith earned her third double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The game also marked the return of guard Kara Lawson who has been out since June 1 with a sprained left ankle. Lawson scored two points off the bench in 12 minutes of action. Rookie guard Chelsea Newton, who has been starting in place of Lawson, set a career high with six assists.

Sheryl Swoopes led the Comets with 20 points as they fell to 4-4 on the season. The Monarchs, now 7-2 in 2005, remain undefeated in four home games. They will look to continue their home unbeaten streak on Friday when they host the Minnesota Lynx.

At Los Angeles Sparks 6/11/2005:

The Monarchs lost just their second game of the season, 81-74, to the Los Angeles Sparks at the Staples Center. After trailing a dismal 47-21 at the break, the Monarchs bounced back in the second half scoring an inspiring 53 points (55.9% from the floor) to the Sparks 34. But it wasn't enough.

Yolanda Griffith led Sacramento with 16 point and five assists, tying her career-high, and also grabbed six rebounds. DeMya Walker was the leader on the boards with seven rebounds and added 13 points. Nicole Powell added 13 points, while rookie Kristin Haynie chipped in 10 points in the loss. Chamique Holdsclaw led all scorers with 25 points and grabbed seven boards. Lisa Leslie was held to just 10 points by Sacramento.

As a team the Monarchs shot a blistering 50% from the three-point line and converted the Sparks 21 turnovers into 26 points.

Vs. Phoenix Mercury 6/10/2005:

Sacramento continued its franchise-best start to the 2005 season with a 73-61 victory over Phoenix. The Mercury opened strong in the first half, leading by as many as eight points. But a mighty Sacramento bench was the key for the remainder of the game. A steal by Monarchs forward/center Erin Buescher with 10:10 remaining energized Sacramento, who then went on a 17-7 run and closed out the half with a one-point lead (32-31).

The Monarchs lead would never be relinquished and the steal by Buescher was the first of a career-high three for the Monarchs newcomer. The Sacramento bench outscored the Phoenix reserves 25-5. Leading the charge was forward Rebekkah Brunson who contributed 12 points, tying her career-high, and added five rebounds in 17 minutes of action. DeMya Walker and Yolanda Griffith again provided double-figure scoring games as they have in all seven contests this season. Griffith contributed 16 points with seven rebounds while Walker added 14 points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Monarchs dominated the boards with 37 rebounds to the Mercury's 24.

Tonight's victory was the third straight for Sacramento. The Monarchs are now 2-0 versus Phoenix in 2005 and have won 10 of their last 11 games against the Mercury. They remain in the top spot in the Western Conference and hold the League's best record at 6-1.

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