Sacramento Monarchs Weekly Update

August 8, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Sacramento Monarchs News Release


Outlook for the Week

Friday, August 12 @ Phoenix Mercury, 7:00 P.M. PDT at America West Arena

Tuesday, August 16 @ Los Angeles Sparks, 7:00 P.M. PDT at STAPLES Center

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

Recent Transactions
8-1-05: Placed guard Miao Lijie (lumbar strain) on injured reserve and activated guard Sui Feifei.
7-25-05: Placed forward DeMya Walker (right medial collateral ligament sprain) on injured reserve and guard Sui Feifei (left Achilles strain) on injured reserve and activated center Olympia Scott-Richardson and guard Miao Lijie.

7-18-05: Placed center Olympia Scott-Richardson (left knee strain) and guard Miao Lijie (lumbar strain) on injured reserve and activated forward/center Erin Buescher and guard Sui Feifei.

Did you Know?
Best Franchise Record - 7 in a Row
& Tied WNBA Record for Most Consecutive Games Won, End of Season
The Monarchs are currently on a seven game winning streak (July 24 - present), which passes the franchise record currently set (6 games) in 2002, July 21 - August 1. This also ties the WNBA record for most consecutive games won at the end of the season, the current record held by Charlotte back in 2001 from July 31 - August 14.

Monarchs have the Best Start in Franchise History
Sacramento is currently off to their best start in franchise history at 20-7. The 1999 and 2000 season were the next-best with a 17-10 record 27 games into both seasons.

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 223 consecutive games that the Monarchs have netted a 3-pointer, at least once, from behind the arc.

13 and Counting
Nicole Powell has scored at least one three-pointer in 13 consecutive games this season (July 1-present). Earlier this season she had 10 consecutive games in which she scored on or more three pointers (May 21-June 17). The current record is 32 games with a three-point field goal made, held by Katie Smith of the Detroit Shock (July 31, 2002-August 2, 2003).

First to Score
In 2005 the Monarchs are 12-3 when they score first and 8-4 when their opponent scores first.

Double Digits

- Yolanda Griffith has scored in double figures in 21 of 27 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs 11 times.

- DeMya Walker has scored in double figures in 19 of 19 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs eight times.

- Nicole Powell has scored in double figures in 15 of 27 games and has been the high-scorer for the Monarchs seven times.

Monarchs Approaching Milestones
Yolanda Griffith - 5 assists away from her 300th

- 153 rebounds away from her 2,000th
- 32 blocks away from her 300th

Ticha Penicheiro - 28 steals away from her 500th
- 36 field goals away from her 500th
Kara Lawson - 13 games away from her 100th

- 22 minutes away from her 2,000th



Seeing Double-Double
Yolanda Griffith has posted six double-doubles in 2005. She has totaled 78 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 798 career offensive rebounds (as of 8/8/2005).

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 1,540 career assists (as of 7/31/05). On July 1, 2005, Penicheiro dished out her 1,500th career assist as the Monarchs defeated the Detroit Shock, 80-63.

Next Game:
Vs. Phoenix Mercury, August 12, 7:00 P.M. at America West Arena
Sacramento will travel to Phoenix for the third match-up between the Monarchs and the Mercury. The Monarchs are 2-0 this year against the Mercury winning both one game at home and one in Phoenix.

2005 vs. Mercury
May 21 Saturday W, 77-72 at Phoenix
June 10 Friday W, 73-61 at Sacramento
August 12 Friday Sacramento at Phoenix, 7:00 p.m. PDT
August 23 Tuesday Sacramento vs. Phoenix, 7:00 p.m. PDT

Regular Season Series Notes
Largest Sacramento victory: 81-59, 6-14-01 @ Sacramento (22)
Largest Phoenix victory: 83-60, 8-4-97 @ Phoenix (23)
Most Points, Sacramento: 96-85, 6-12-99 @ Sacramento
Fewest Points, Sacramento: 54-69, 8-20-97 @ Sacramento
Most Points, Phoenix: 88-67, 7-20-98 @ Phoenix
Fewest Points, Phoenix: 47-63, 7-29-01 @ Sacramento

Longest winning streak, Sacramento: 8 games, 7-27-02 through 6-27-04

Longest winning streak, Phoenix: 8 games, 7-16-97 through 8-19-98
Monarchs last home win: 6-10-05, 73-61
Monarchs last road win: 5-21-05, 77-72
Current streak: Monarchs won 2, last loss 7-22-04 (69-71)

Quotables
Phoenix Mercury Head Coach Carrie Graf on the physical quality of the game, June 10, 2005...
Their pressure defense makes it much more physical. Anytime you play Sacramento they play the best pressure defense in the league. We can't expect to win getting 20-plus turnovers and getting smashed on the boards. We can't win games against good teams and give up 23 points on turnovers. We know they are a great rebounding team.

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, May 12, 2005 vs. Phoenix:
Kristen (Haynie) is going to be a great player. She showed it in college and she is very poised. Once she gets her feet wet she'll be ok. As a rookie everything is fast, but once it slows down for her she will be a great point guard in the league.

Monarchs/Mercury Connections
Monarchs guard Kara Lawson (Tennessee '03) and Phoenix guard Diana Taurasi (UConn '04) faced off two years in a row at the NCAA Tournament. In 2002 during the National Semifinal UConn defeated Tennessee, 79-56 and in 2003 in the National Championship UConn won, 73-68.

Monarchs assistant coach Monique Ambers was drafted by Phoenix Mercury in the fourth round of the 1997 WNBA Draft. In 1997, Ambers averaged .444 field goal percentage, .400 free throw percentage and 1.2 rebounds per game in 19 games played.

Upcoming Games:
Tuesday, August 16 @ Los Angeles Sparks, 7:30 P.M. PDT at STAPLES Center
Just a little over two weeks after their last meeting, the Monarchs travel to Los Angeles to take on the Sparks in the fourth and final match-up between the two teams. The Monarchs are ahead in the series 2-1, but they are 0-1 in Los Angeles in 2005.

2005 vs. Los Angeles
June 4 Saturday W, 81-53, at Sacramento
June 11 Saturday L, 74-81, at Los Angeles
July 29 Friday W, 79-59 at Sacramento
August 16 Tuesday at Los Angeles, 7:00 P.M. PDT

Regular Season Series Notes
Largest Sacramento victory: 81-53, 6-4-05 @ Sacramento (28)
Largest Los Angeles victory: 87-65, 7-5-02 @ Los Angeles (22, three times) most recent
Most Points, Sacramento: 83-75, 7-31-03 @ Sacramento
Fewest Points, Sacramento: 52-65, 9-12-04 @ Los Angeles
Most Points, Los Angeles 100-78, 6-10-99 @ Los Angeles
Fewest Points, Los Angeles: 51-68, 6-3-04 @ Sacramento
Longest winning streak, Sacramento: 4 games, 6-28-03 through 7-17-04
Longest winning streak, Los Angeles: 10 games, 7-5-00 through 6-7-03
Monarchs last home win: 7-29-05, 79-59
Monarchs last road win: 7-17-04, 79-70
Current streak: Monarchs won 1, last loss 6-11-05 (74-81)

Quotables

Sacramento Monarchs Head Coach John Whisenant, July 29, 2005...

That was a good win. We held them to 30% shooting. We out-rebounded them by 14. The only thing I can complain about to my troops is that we turned over the ball too many times. We gave away six or eight points to turnovers. I'm proud of my team they step up. One of our better scorers and rebounders is out. We still kept playing. The only thing I can say is that we gave away to many turnovers.

Los Angeles Sparks head coach Henry Bibby, June 4, 2005 at Sacramento:

What I tried to emphasize to the girls was they knocked you out last year. You are playing for something. We didn't come up here just to show up. We came up to let Sacramento know that we are back and we're not happy with what you did to us last year. That's my thinking, but obviously we didn't approach it that way. They outplayed us and they outworked us. We know how good they are. I saw this team being the best defensive team I've seen on tape in a long time. They are the best defensive team I've seen in the WNBA. That's why they won the basketball game. They frustrate people and make you do things you don't normally do. We knew what type of game they were going to play today, we just didn't handle it the way a mature basketball team should.

On how Sacramento defended Lisa Leslie:

This is the way they play all big people. Before the game we said that no big player has scored double-figures against them. I was trying to get some excitement going there. They really help out and have a very good concept of defensive principals. They aren't going to let you score a lot of baskets in the paint. They force you to shoot the basketball outside and make it tough for you inside.

Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie, July 29, 2004 at Sacramento: They did a good job. They out-hustled us. We need to win some of those battles - the loose balls.

We expected the triple teaming but I just thought we didn't do a really good job as a team executing.

Monarchs/Sparks Connections

Sparks forward Chamique Holdsclaw is a 1999 graduate of Tennessee, while four years later Monarchs guard Kara Lawson graduated in 2003.

The Monarchs' Yolanda Griffith was the starting center on the 2005 WNBA All-Star team on which the Sparks' Lisa Leslie was a reserve center. DeMya Walker of the Monarchs and Chamique Holdsclaw of the Sparks were both reserve forwards.

Monarchs forward Yolanda Griffith and guard Ticha Penicheiro were teammates with Sparks guards Tamecka Dixon and Nikki Teasley during the 2003-04 offseason as they all played for UMMC in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Monarchs guard Ticha Penicheiro joined Sparks players Lisa Leslie, Tamecka Dixon and Mwadi Mabika in the 2002 All-Star Game for the Western Conference.

Monarchs forward Yolanda Griffith and Sparks center Lisa Leslie were teammates on the gold medal-winning USA Basketball teams in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. In addition, Griffith, Leslie, and Sparks forward Chamique Holdsclaw were gold medalists in the 1999 U.S. Olympic Cup.

Recent Game Recaps:

August 7, 2005 vs. Houston - W, 55-45 (ARCO Arena)

In a battle of the top two Western Conference teams, the Sacramento Monarchs solidified their first place position with a 55-45 victory over the Houston Comets. It was the seventh consecutive victory for Sacramento, setting the longest winning streak in franchise history.

Houston started the game slow, remaining scoreless for the first five minutes while Sacramento exploded on a 15-2 run (20:00-12:22). The Comets shot just 19% in the first half, compared to 50% by Sacramento. Monarchs guard Ticha Penicheiro scored four of her six first half points in the final minute to send the Monarchs into halftime with an 18-point lead (34-16).

Houston came back after intermission determined to fight their way back into the game. The Comets scored 11 points on 12 Sacramento turnovers in the first eight minutes of the second half. The strong effort brought the Comets to within six points (40-34). Nicole Powell ended a 9-0 Houston run with her first and only points of the game, a three-point jump shot. Houston out-shot and out-rebounded the Monarchs during the second half, with 44.4% shooting and 14 rebounds, while Sacramento shot just 36.8% and grabbed eight rebounds. The Comets deficit closed to just four points with 11 minutes remaining. Even with 13 Sacramento second half turnovers and ten points from Houston guard Janeth Arcain, the Comets could not overcome their slow first half.

Sheryl Swoopes and Arcain both scored ten points, making them the high scorers for the Comets tonight. Arcain also grabbed seven rebounds and three steals. Michelle Snow scored the only three point shot for Houston, out of 11 team attempts.

Monarchs guard Kara Lawson scored a team-high 13 points off the bench, including two from three-point range. Center Yolanda Griffith scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds and four steals to pass the 400 career-steal mark. Lawson's effort helped the Monarchs bench to outscore the Comet's reserves 26-10. Guard Ticha Penicheiro has scored consecutively for the past seven games, with nine points tonight. She also grabbed four assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

Tonight's win extends the Monarchs lead to five games over the second-place Comets. Sacramento begins a two game road trip on Friday, which will give the Monarchs a chance to play against Phoenix and Los Angeles, both vying for a spot in the upcoming playoffs.

August 4, 2005 at Charlotte - W, 76-58 (Charlotte Coliseum)

The Monarchs continued their winning streak to six consecutive games, tying their franchise record, with a 76-58 victory over the Sting at Charlotte. Rebekkah Brunson recorded a career-high 16 points, leading all scorers, as she was 5-of-8 from the floor. Charlotte led by as many as six points before the Monarchs took over for good during the first half as Sacramento entered the break leading 37-29. The Monarchs built their lead to as many as 20 points during the second half and allowed the Sting to score only three points during the final 4:30 minutes before the close of the game.

Yolanda Griffith added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds in the win. Nicole Powell chipped in 12 points, while Ticha Penicheiro finished with eight points and five assists.

Tammy Sutton-Brown led Charlotte with 13 points, followed by former Monarchs player Tangela Smith with 11 points and five rebounds. Helen Darling dished out a game-high 10 assists and recorded a

Monarchs opponent season-high nine turnovers.



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from August 8, 2005


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