SAN ANTONIO SILVER STARS 69, CHARLOTTE STING 62

Charlotte received strong performances from their starting frontcourt trio but it wasn't enough for the Sting who suffered a 69-62 loss on the road at the hands of the Silver Stars.

The Sting jumped out to a quick start, as Tammy Sutton-Brown scored seven points and the Sting made six of their first 10 shots to build an early 13-8 lead. Charlotte maintained a slim margin thoughout much of the first half, until San Antonio used a 7-2 run to take a 19-17 lead with 6:21 left in the period. The Sting, behind six points from Sheri Sam, answered with a run of their own, outscoring the Silver Stars 13-4 to end the half and take a seven-point lead at the break.

The Sting could not maintain their momentum, however in the second half as they committed three turnovers and were held without a field goal in the first 4:40 of period. The Silver Stars capitalized, going on a 16-4 run to build a five point lead on the Sting. San Antonio pushed their lead to seven before the Sting went on a 11-4 run, capped by a jump shot by Allison Feaster, to tie the game at 47 with 8:20 left in the contest. The Silver Stars then took over, going on a 9-0 run. A pair of free throws by Katie Feenstra at the 1:24 mark helped seal the victory as the Silver Stars extended their lead to 11.

San Antonio shot 67.7% (14-21) from the field in the second half and finished the game shooting 52.2% (24-46) from the floor. The Silver Stars 52.2% field goal percentage was the highest field goal percentage the Sting have allowed this season. San Antonio also won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Sting 28-19.

The Silver Stars bench made significant contributions as they outscored the Sting bench 27-13. Silver Stars rookie Katie Feenstra scored a season-high 16 points along with five rebounds and three blocked shots while Wendy Palmer-Daniel added 11. Silver Stars guard Marie Ferdinand tied Feenstra for game scoring honors with 16.

Tammy Sutton-Brown led the Sting with 15 points. She also recorded her 200th career block, becoming just the 10th player in WNBA history to reach that plateau. Tangela Smith and Sheri Sam also finished in double-figures for the Sting with 12 and 11 points respectively.

The Sting will look to get their first road win of the season as they travel to Minnesota to face the Lynx on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

GM & HEAD COACH TRUDI LACEY SAYS... “San Antonio came out aggressively in the 2nd half. They played more physical and we didn’t regain our intensity from the 1st half. They made their runs, but when you play on the road you have to play through it.” (on what Charlotte needs to do to turn the season around) “We have got to play 40-minute games. We played well in the first but didn’t come out with the same intensity in the second.” INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM TAMMY SUTTON-BROWN ”Defensively we needed to do a better job. We needed to make focus a part of our defense. We were able to get second-chance shots, but 28-19 (rebounds) says it all. They came out with much more energy in the 2nd half. We didn’t stick to the things that got us our advantages in the 1st half. We didn’t get back and we lost focus.” (on what Charlotte needs to do to turn the season around) “It’s a short season. We have got to get back to what brought us here, scoring with the run-and-go and do what we do best with defense.”

JUNE 2, 2005 Team 1 2 TOT CHARLOTTE 30 32 62 SAN ANTONIO 23 46 69 STAR OF THE GAME TAMMY SUTTON-BROWN 15 points 6-8 FGs 2 steals 1 assist 1 rebound 22 minutes SUB OF THE GAME JIA PERKINS 6 points 3-5 FGs 2 rebounds 2 assists 4 minutes QUOTE OF THE DAY "They came out with much more energy in the 2nd half. We didn’t stick to the things that got us our advantages in the 1st half." - Tammy Sutton-Brown STAT OF THE GAME Free Throw Percentage Charlotte - .615 (8-13) San Antonio - .826 (19-23) HUSTLE BOARD Team REB STL BLK TOT CHA 19 10 3 32 SAS 28 4 6 38