The Connecticut Sun returned to practice Thursday and after scrimmaging to start the session, they worked primarily on late-game situations thereafter. At one point, Sun coach Mike Thibault put 1:10 on the clock with the “home” team down by seven – which, of course, was pretty much the exact situation the Sun were in during the fourth quarter of their 81-79 loss to Sacramento on Tuesday.
“It’s becoming playoff time and the games are getting tighter and tighter and everyone is fighting for their lives,” Katie Douglas said. “It’s good to just have that kind of practice under your belt.”
Douglas was then asked if the chose of drill was primarily because of the Sun’s loss the other night.
“Coach reiterated that this is the case that we were in against Sacramento and we still had a chance to win it,” she said. “We’ve just got to find a way to get stops and find a way to get quick scores. And you always get better with practice so we’re just finding a way to stay in the game with only a 1 minute, 10 (seconds) to go. Maybe it was ironic that it happened the other night but I think it’s also about preparing for these last couple games.”
Some extra notes from Tuesday’s loss:
* In the last blog entry, it was detailed how Douglas was on the verge of setting several new career-highs. But with her nine-point, two-rebound and two-assist performance, she still needs three total rebounds, four offensive rebounds and four defensive rebounds, among other things, to pass her previous career bests.
* Strangely enough, Douglas also had a team-high four turnovers, most of which came on botched pick-and-rolls with Asjha Jones. Usually the pair’s go-to play, the set didn’t quite work against the Monarchs, who read it very well and made of habit of stepping into the passing lane.
* The 21 points Kara Lawson scored on the Sun was the most any bench player has dropped on Connecticut this season.
Stories and blogs to come:
* Check Friday’s Bulletin for a feature on back-up point guard Jamie Carey.
* Check back here Friday for an update on playoff scenarios around the WNBA.
* Check Saturday’s Bulletin for an advance story on the Sun’s game with the Chicago Sky.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
It's not a job, it's her career
If it wasn’t already apparent, Katie Douglas is having another stellar season with the Sun. But more so, it’s turning into one of her best. Entering tonight’s game with Sacramento, Douglas has already set a new single-season high for assists (109), she’s scored 20 or more points 10 times and she’s on the verge of posting career bests in several other categories.
Here’s the rundown of what she needs, with her current season high in parenthesis:
* Four more to set a new high in offensive rebounds (45)
* Five more for total rebounds (135)
* Six more for defensive rebounds (95)
* Seven more for steals (62)
* Twenty more for made 3-pointers (73)
* Her 17.9 scoring average is also on pace to surpass her previous career best of 16.4
The Sun and Sacramento Monarchs kick-off their final regular season match-up shortly. As it’s been the last few years, this is a preview of a possible WNBA finals showdown, as both teams currently sit in third in their respective conferences. Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
Connecticut (16-12)
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Nykesha Sales
Center – Margo Dydek
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Guard – Katie Douglas
Sacramento (16-11)
Forward – Rebekkah Brunson
Forward – Nicole Powell
Center – Yolanda Griffith
Guard – Chelsea Newton
Guard – Ticha Penicheiro
Sacramento can clinch a playoff berth tonight with either a win or a Los Angeles loss. Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
Here’s the rundown of what she needs, with her current season high in parenthesis:
* Four more to set a new high in offensive rebounds (45)
* Five more for total rebounds (135)
* Six more for defensive rebounds (95)
* Seven more for steals (62)
* Twenty more for made 3-pointers (73)
* Her 17.9 scoring average is also on pace to surpass her previous career best of 16.4
The Sun and Sacramento Monarchs kick-off their final regular season match-up shortly. As it’s been the last few years, this is a preview of a possible WNBA finals showdown, as both teams currently sit in third in their respective conferences. Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
Connecticut (16-12)
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Nykesha Sales
Center – Margo Dydek
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Guard – Katie Douglas
Sacramento (16-11)
Forward – Rebekkah Brunson
Forward – Nicole Powell
Center – Yolanda Griffith
Guard – Chelsea Newton
Guard – Ticha Penicheiro
Sacramento can clinch a playoff berth tonight with either a win or a Los Angeles loss. Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
A Huskies update (4th edition)
Here’s the weekly update on UConn alums around the league, with their season averages in key categories:
Connecticut Sun:
(1) Nykesha Sales (UConn, 1998): 12.7 points, 4.05 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game
Low-down: Sales this past week didn’t produce offensively like she’s used to (a combined 11 points in two games on 4-of-15 shooting). But the Sun haven’t needed her to with the continued stellar play of Katie Douglas, Lindsay Whalen and Asjha Jones and the emergence of Evina Maltsi. The good news, Sun coach Mike Thibault said, is “she was the best she’s been physically in a long time.”
“I think watching her play the other day, physically she looked like she had the most bounce she’s had in a while,” the coach said. “That’s my opinion. She might have felt like crap and not have told me. But she looked like she had it.”
(2) Asjha Jones (2002): 15.4 points, 6.15 rebounds, 45.4 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Jones has rarely missed a step in the last month and her steady play continued this past week, scoring 16 and 11 points, respectively, and shooting 5-for-11 (45 percent) from the field. Jones has had to mix up her game as the season has gone along, shooting more jumpers in favor of working out of the post, but that’s because she’s seeing more double teams. Look for more on this development in Wednesday’s Bulletin.
Detroit Shock:
(1) Swin Cash (2002): 11.6 points, 6.29 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Low-down: Like the rest of her Detroit team, Cash continues to plug away, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Shock’s last win, a 66-60 victory in Chicago on Friday. Detroit all but has the East locked up with the WNBA’s best record, and hasn’t missed a step without Cheryl Ford, thanks in large part to Cash, who’s played 35 minutes twice in her last three games.
Indiana Fever:
(1) Ann Strother (2006): 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds
Low-down: After getting a loud ovation from the Connecticut crowd on Saturday, Strother played a season-high 17 minutes in the Fever’s 84-59 loss to the Sun, scoring five points. Prior to the last two weeks, she was rarely used by coach Brian Winters.
“Especially in this league, you really have to be ready all the time and anytime you get an opportunity to get in, you just have to have the mindset that anything can happen, someone can get hurt and it can be your turn to go in and make something happen,” Strother said prior to the game. “So for me, it’s (about) being ready all the time.”
Winters echoed that.
“Ann always keeps herself ready,” he said. “She knows how to work hard and I don’t have a problem with putting her in the game. There are a few people ahead of her right now but that doesn’t mean she won’t get in.”
The Fever clinched a playoff spot this week with a 66-58 win over Sacramento.
New York Liberty:
(1) Ashley Battle (2005): 7.7 points, 3.85 rebounds, 1.11 steal
Low-down: After a strong stretch that started in late June and stretched into mid-July, Battle continued to cool in August, combining for 16 points in her last three games (5.33 average) while only grabbing seven rebounds. The Liberty, a nice surprise at the beginning of the season, snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 71-66 win over Minnesota on Aug. 2, but followed it up with an 80-68 loss to Washington the next night. They’re quickly playing themselves out of a playoff spot.
Phoenix Mercury:
(1) Diana Taurasi (2004): 18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Low-down: Things are only getting better for Taurasi and her Phoenix teammates. Taurasi notched games of 19, 24 and 28 points this past week, and the Mercury, despite falling 111-101 to Seattle on Saturday to snap a six-game winning streak, have secured a playoff spot and are tied for the top seed in the West with San Antonio. Taurasi tied a season-high of six 3-pointers last Thursday in a crucial win over the Silver Stars.
(2) Kelly Schumacher (2001): 4.4 points, 3.93 rebounds, 47.7 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Schumacher notched 15 minutes twice this last week and had five points and five rebounds in that loss to Seattle. Oddly enough, she scored six points two games earlier in a 76-74 win over Houston, but, at 6-feet, 5-inches, failed to grab a single rebounds. That’s only the second time that’s happened this season.
Seattle Storm:
(1) Sue Bird (2002): 10.5 points, 4.8 assists, 1.63 steals
Low-down: Bird came up big in Seattle’s win over Phoenix on Saturday, scoring 18 points – the most she’s had since dropping 25 on Minnesota on June 22 – and committing zero turnovers in 30 minutes. The Storm entered with three straight losses, and though they’re hardly in danger of falling out of playoff contention with 3.5 games on fifth-place Houston, the victory over the red-hot Mercury was a much-needed one.
Of course, out of it came some good news, courtesy of the Seattle P-I, and some bad news, according to wnba.com.
Los Angeles Sparks:
(1) Jessica Moore (2005): 3.9 points, 2.81 rebounds, 38.0 field-goal percentage
Low-down: It was a touch week for both Moore and the Sparks. Los Angeles has dropped its last two games to fall to 9-18, and Moore has just 10 points combined in her last three contests. In Los Angeles’ 86-67 loss to San Antonio on Saturday, she played just 10 minutes – her fewest since June – and didn’t grab a rebound. Despite 15 starts, Moore hasn’t topped 30 minutes all season, but coach Michael Cooper subs with a deep bench.
Houston Comets:
(1) Barbara Turner (2006): 4.6 points, 1.89 rebounds, 40.3 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Turner didn’t play all that much her last three games (nine, five and eight minutes, respectively) and she wasn’t all that effective on the offensive end either (four combined points). But Houston has won its last two and isn’t out of the playoff race, though they sit 3.5 games back of Seattle. The Comets have six games remaining, including three against Eastern Conference teams.
Minnesota Lynx:
(1) Svetlana Abrosimova (2001): 8.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Low-down: Well, the Lynx (7-22) have become the first team to officially be eliminated from the playoffs, following two losses to New York (71-66 on Aug. 2) and Houston (88-70 on Aug. 4). Abrosimova played well in the first defeat, scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds. But she scored in single figures (nine points) for the first time since July 12 two nights later and shot just 4-of-15 from the field.
(2) Tamika Raymond (2002): 1.1 points, 1.25 rebounds
Low-down: Raymond saw 11 minutes of action against New York, the most since playing 13 minutes on June 20, and she scored two points on the only shot she took. She had three points in six minutes against Houston.
Connecticut Sun:
(1) Nykesha Sales (UConn, 1998): 12.7 points, 4.05 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game
Low-down: Sales this past week didn’t produce offensively like she’s used to (a combined 11 points in two games on 4-of-15 shooting). But the Sun haven’t needed her to with the continued stellar play of Katie Douglas, Lindsay Whalen and Asjha Jones and the emergence of Evina Maltsi. The good news, Sun coach Mike Thibault said, is “she was the best she’s been physically in a long time.”
“I think watching her play the other day, physically she looked like she had the most bounce she’s had in a while,” the coach said. “That’s my opinion. She might have felt like crap and not have told me. But she looked like she had it.”
(2) Asjha Jones (2002): 15.4 points, 6.15 rebounds, 45.4 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Jones has rarely missed a step in the last month and her steady play continued this past week, scoring 16 and 11 points, respectively, and shooting 5-for-11 (45 percent) from the field. Jones has had to mix up her game as the season has gone along, shooting more jumpers in favor of working out of the post, but that’s because she’s seeing more double teams. Look for more on this development in Wednesday’s Bulletin.
Detroit Shock:
(1) Swin Cash (2002): 11.6 points, 6.29 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Low-down: Like the rest of her Detroit team, Cash continues to plug away, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Shock’s last win, a 66-60 victory in Chicago on Friday. Detroit all but has the East locked up with the WNBA’s best record, and hasn’t missed a step without Cheryl Ford, thanks in large part to Cash, who’s played 35 minutes twice in her last three games.
Indiana Fever:
(1) Ann Strother (2006): 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds
Low-down: After getting a loud ovation from the Connecticut crowd on Saturday, Strother played a season-high 17 minutes in the Fever’s 84-59 loss to the Sun, scoring five points. Prior to the last two weeks, she was rarely used by coach Brian Winters.
“Especially in this league, you really have to be ready all the time and anytime you get an opportunity to get in, you just have to have the mindset that anything can happen, someone can get hurt and it can be your turn to go in and make something happen,” Strother said prior to the game. “So for me, it’s (about) being ready all the time.”
Winters echoed that.
“Ann always keeps herself ready,” he said. “She knows how to work hard and I don’t have a problem with putting her in the game. There are a few people ahead of her right now but that doesn’t mean she won’t get in.”
The Fever clinched a playoff spot this week with a 66-58 win over Sacramento.
New York Liberty:
(1) Ashley Battle (2005): 7.7 points, 3.85 rebounds, 1.11 steal
Low-down: After a strong stretch that started in late June and stretched into mid-July, Battle continued to cool in August, combining for 16 points in her last three games (5.33 average) while only grabbing seven rebounds. The Liberty, a nice surprise at the beginning of the season, snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 71-66 win over Minnesota on Aug. 2, but followed it up with an 80-68 loss to Washington the next night. They’re quickly playing themselves out of a playoff spot.
Phoenix Mercury:
(1) Diana Taurasi (2004): 18.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists
Low-down: Things are only getting better for Taurasi and her Phoenix teammates. Taurasi notched games of 19, 24 and 28 points this past week, and the Mercury, despite falling 111-101 to Seattle on Saturday to snap a six-game winning streak, have secured a playoff spot and are tied for the top seed in the West with San Antonio. Taurasi tied a season-high of six 3-pointers last Thursday in a crucial win over the Silver Stars.
(2) Kelly Schumacher (2001): 4.4 points, 3.93 rebounds, 47.7 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Schumacher notched 15 minutes twice this last week and had five points and five rebounds in that loss to Seattle. Oddly enough, she scored six points two games earlier in a 76-74 win over Houston, but, at 6-feet, 5-inches, failed to grab a single rebounds. That’s only the second time that’s happened this season.
Seattle Storm:
(1) Sue Bird (2002): 10.5 points, 4.8 assists, 1.63 steals
Low-down: Bird came up big in Seattle’s win over Phoenix on Saturday, scoring 18 points – the most she’s had since dropping 25 on Minnesota on June 22 – and committing zero turnovers in 30 minutes. The Storm entered with three straight losses, and though they’re hardly in danger of falling out of playoff contention with 3.5 games on fifth-place Houston, the victory over the red-hot Mercury was a much-needed one.
Of course, out of it came some good news, courtesy of the Seattle P-I, and some bad news, according to wnba.com.
Los Angeles Sparks:
(1) Jessica Moore (2005): 3.9 points, 2.81 rebounds, 38.0 field-goal percentage
Low-down: It was a touch week for both Moore and the Sparks. Los Angeles has dropped its last two games to fall to 9-18, and Moore has just 10 points combined in her last three contests. In Los Angeles’ 86-67 loss to San Antonio on Saturday, she played just 10 minutes – her fewest since June – and didn’t grab a rebound. Despite 15 starts, Moore hasn’t topped 30 minutes all season, but coach Michael Cooper subs with a deep bench.
Houston Comets:
(1) Barbara Turner (2006): 4.6 points, 1.89 rebounds, 40.3 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Turner didn’t play all that much her last three games (nine, five and eight minutes, respectively) and she wasn’t all that effective on the offensive end either (four combined points). But Houston has won its last two and isn’t out of the playoff race, though they sit 3.5 games back of Seattle. The Comets have six games remaining, including three against Eastern Conference teams.
Minnesota Lynx:
(1) Svetlana Abrosimova (2001): 8.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Low-down: Well, the Lynx (7-22) have become the first team to officially be eliminated from the playoffs, following two losses to New York (71-66 on Aug. 2) and Houston (88-70 on Aug. 4). Abrosimova played well in the first defeat, scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds. But she scored in single figures (nine points) for the first time since July 12 two nights later and shot just 4-of-15 from the field.
(2) Tamika Raymond (2002): 1.1 points, 1.25 rebounds
Low-down: Raymond saw 11 minutes of action against New York, the most since playing 13 minutes on June 20, and she scored two points on the only shot she took. She had three points in six minutes against Houston.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Differentiating from the past
Some statistical difference from the Sun's first 15 games (5-10) and their last 12 (10-2), courtesy of the Sun game notes:
Record: (5-10)
Field goal percentage: .411
3-point field goal percentage: .281
Turnovers: 17.5
Scoring average: 76.3
Record: (10-2)
Field goal percentage: .441
3-point field goal percentage: .364
Turnovers: 14.2
Scoring average: 83.2
Record: (5-10)
Field goal percentage: .411
3-point field goal percentage: .281
Turnovers: 17.5
Scoring average: 76.3
Record: (10-2)
Field goal percentage: .441
3-point field goal percentage: .364
Turnovers: 14.2
Scoring average: 83.2
Sun, Fever prepare for showdown
Here are the starting lineups for tonight’s game between the Sun and the Indiana Fever. No surprises on either side, but watch out for Tamika Whitmore coming off the bench for the Fever. The former starter was moved to a reserve role in recent games, and with Tamika Catchings sidelined with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in her left foot, she has helped provide a major boost. Tan White, starting at the off-guard position, has scored 20 or more in her last two games, both as a starter.
Connecticut Sun (12-15):
Forward – Nykehsa Sales
Forward – Asjha Jones
Center – Margo Dydek
Guard – Katie Douglas
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Indiana Fever (17-10):
Forward – Anna DeForge
Forward – Ebony Hoffman
Center – Tammy Sutton-Brown
Guard – Tan White
Guard – Tully Bevilaqua
Note: The Sun can move within a game of the second-place Fever with a win tonight. Essentially, if the two teams hold course the rest of the season, they’ll meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 2 and 3 seeds, making this match-up (and their last on Aug. 15 in Indiana) a battle for home-court advantage in the best 2-of-3 series.
Connecticut Sun (12-15):
Forward – Nykehsa Sales
Forward – Asjha Jones
Center – Margo Dydek
Guard – Katie Douglas
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Indiana Fever (17-10):
Forward – Anna DeForge
Forward – Ebony Hoffman
Center – Tammy Sutton-Brown
Guard – Tan White
Guard – Tully Bevilaqua
Note: The Sun can move within a game of the second-place Fever with a win tonight. Essentially, if the two teams hold course the rest of the season, they’ll meet in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 2 and 3 seeds, making this match-up (and their last on Aug. 15 in Indiana) a battle for home-court advantage in the best 2-of-3 series.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Minneapolis bridge disaster touches Sun
From the wreckage of the I-35W bridge collapse on Wednesday have come stories of those in and around Minneapolis frantically calling friends and families to make sure of one thing: We’re they on the bridge?
Lindsay Whalen was no different.
A Hutchinson, Minn. native, Whalen said she has several friends and family around the Minnesota metropolis, including a sister who goes to the University of Minnesota – her alma mater – and her aunt, who works in the downtown area. She called all of them in the hours after the collapse during rush hour on Wednesday afternoon, and luckily no one she knows was among those involved in the disaster, which, according to a report on cnn.com Friday afternoon, has claimed five lives already.
She said her aunt, however, had passed over the bridge some five minutes before a section of the 40-year-old bridge crumpled into the Mississippi River more than 60 feet below.
Whalen, speaking after practice Friday at Stonington High School, recalled seeing the bridge every day her senior year of college from her off-campus apartment, no more than a five-minute walk from the disaster.
Lindsay Whalen was no different.
A Hutchinson, Minn. native, Whalen said she has several friends and family around the Minnesota metropolis, including a sister who goes to the University of Minnesota – her alma mater – and her aunt, who works in the downtown area. She called all of them in the hours after the collapse during rush hour on Wednesday afternoon, and luckily no one she knows was among those involved in the disaster, which, according to a report on cnn.com Friday afternoon, has claimed five lives already.
She said her aunt, however, had passed over the bridge some five minutes before a section of the 40-year-old bridge crumpled into the Mississippi River more than 60 feet below.
Whalen, speaking after practice Friday at Stonington High School, recalled seeing the bridge every day her senior year of college from her off-campus apartment, no more than a five-minute walk from the disaster.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sun set to host Sky
Go figure, just an hour after I post that Evina Maltsi would probably start another game (or two) as Nykesha Sales gets eased back into the Sun’s rotation, Sales is listed in tonight’s starting lineup.
It’s not surprising, really -- Sales said she felt fine before and after Sunday’s game in New York, and said she hasn’t felt the effects from her mild concussion since about last Thursday.
Here are the rest of tonight’s starters:
Connecticut Sun (14-12)
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Nykesha Sales
Center – Margo Dydek (her first start since Friday)
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Guard – Katie Douglas
Chicago Sky (12-14)
Forward – Candice Dupree
Forward – Stacey Dales
Center – Chasity Melvin
Guard – Dominique Canty
Guard – Armintie Price
Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
It’s not surprising, really -- Sales said she felt fine before and after Sunday’s game in New York, and said she hasn’t felt the effects from her mild concussion since about last Thursday.
Here are the rest of tonight’s starters:
Connecticut Sun (14-12)
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Nykesha Sales
Center – Margo Dydek (her first start since Friday)
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Guard – Katie Douglas
Chicago Sky (12-14)
Forward – Candice Dupree
Forward – Stacey Dales
Center – Chasity Melvin
Guard – Dominique Canty
Guard – Armintie Price
Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
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