Box Score | Play-By-Play
The Sting knew they had their work cut out for them as they headed to Detroit looking to extend their winning streak to three games and pick up their second road victory of the season on Wednesday.
After all, the Shock entered the contest as the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, riding the conference’s longest winning streak at three games.
That streak now belongs to Charlotte, as it extended its season-high winning streak to three games with a 73-67 win, led by 15 points apiece from Sheri Sam and Tangela Smith.
Monique Currie added 14 points, and Tammy Sutton-Brown recorded her third double-double of the season and second in the last three games with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, as four starters scored in double-digits.
The Sting held the lead for much of this tightly contested contest, and were ahead just 63-60 following two Deanna Nolan free throws with 1:59 remaining. However, this was Charlotte’s game to win, as the All-Star (Smith) again stepped up in the final moments, knocking down a clutch jumper with 1:29 remaining to push the lead to 65-60.
One of Detroit’s All-Stars, Cheryl Ford, had an answer of her own seconds later, converting from the inside to cut the lead to 65-62 with 1:13 remaining.
From that point on, the Sting put the game away at the free throw line, hitting eight-consecutive free throws in the next 53 seconds before Sutton-Brown missed both attempts with 20 seconds remaining, but by that point, Charlotte had already put the host team away.
The Sting put the pressure on early in the contest, jumping out to a 5-0 lead and extending the lead to 12-2 paced by seven early points from Sam. However, the Shock were able to battle back led by four points off the bench from Plenette Pierson in the first quarter and trailed just 16-14 after 10 minutes of play.
Charlotte was able to hang onto the lead the entire first half thanks to the work of Smith and rookie LaToya Bond in the second stanza. Smith posted five of her seven first-half points in the frame, while Bond added four points off the bench to give the Sting a 33-28 lead at the break.
Pierson refused to let Detroit fold coming out of the locker room, as her seven third-quarter points sparked a 10-4 run and helped the Shock take their first lead of the game, 38-37, midway through the quarter. Despite having lost the lead, Charlotte still managed to rally and take a 49-48 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play before pulling away late.
Pierson led all Detroit scorers with a season-high 19 points, followed by Ford (14) and Katie Smith (11) in double-digits.
The Sting now return home for an 11:30 a.m. Camp Day game against Seattle on Thursday.
| July 19, 2006 |
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
TOT |
| CHA |
16 |
17 |
16 |
24 |
73 |
| DET |
14 |
14 |
20 |
19 |
67 | |
STAR OF THE GAME |
SHERI SAM |
15 points
4 rebounds
6-11 FGs |
SUB OF THE GAME |
KELLY MAZZANTE |
5 points
4 assists
2 rebounds |
STAT OF THE GAME |
3PT FG PCT
Charlotte - .533 (8-15)
Detroit - .091 (1-11) |
HUSTLE BOARD |
| Team |
REB |
STL |
BLK |
TOT |
| CHA |
31 |
9 |
4 |
44 |
| DET |
29 |
6 |
2 |
37
| | |
|
