I always like to see the perspective of the opposing team and their media.
Black - Positives that Monarchs can take away from this game
Red - negatives that need to improve for Game 3
Monarchs have been here
By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Monarchs were oblivious to the party that roared around them.
Seconds after Storm reserve Chelle Thompson drained a three-pointer at the buzzer, which only added to the indignity of the Monarchs' 66-54 defeat in last night's Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, they gathered in a huddle near the sideline.
Edna Campbell, a former Storm player, screamed so her teammates could hear her above the din. Her voice was barely audible, but the force of her words sent the message to the visitors from Sacramento.
And then, Kara Lawson, a rookie point guard, yelled to the screaming KeyArena crowd what everyone else was thinking.
"We'll be back, baby," she said as she raced into the locker room. "We'll be back."
(there is no quit in this team!!!)
The Monarchs are uniquely familiar to playing a decisive Game 3 in a hostile environment. They claimed the first game against Los Angeles in the first-round series, lost the second game and dispatched the Sparks 73-58 at Staples Center to advance to these conference finals.
"It's not like we got them exactly where we want them, but we feel confident where we are," Lawson said. "We've won Game 3 on the road before, and we know that we're capable of that.
"We had every opportunity in this game to lay down and quit and let them run away with it. But we fought back and almost made it a one-possession game. So that's one thing that I like."
Around the Monarchs' locker room, players took solace in their ability to erase an 18-point first-half deficit (32-14) and close to four points (58-54) with 1:03 remaining.
They praised DeMya Walker, who sank 7 of 9 shots for a team-high 15 points, and Yolanda Griffith, who scored 12.
Monarchs coach John Whisenant spoke highly of his defense, which forced 19 turnovers and held the Storm to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half.
But if Sacramento is to advance to its first WNBA Finals, Walker believes her Monarchs "must start the game with a sense of urgency."
"The way we try to close games, is the way we try to start games," she said.
For the second straight game, Sacramento fell behind early and trailed 36-27 at halftime. Unlike their series opening victory, when they also trailed by 11 at intermission before pulling out an overtime victory, the Monarchs couldn't find enough offense in their backcourt.
"We've been hearing that all season long," Lawson said. "Of how we can't score enough. True, we (the guards) need to do a better job offensively, but our focus is coming out defensively and playing well."
The Monarchs also failed in their task as Sue Bird, who played a second game while wearing a plastic mask to protect her broken nose, scored 12 points and collected five rebounds, five assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
Sacramento was able to harass Bird's backcourt mate, Betty Lennox, into four turnovers and 3-for-11 shooting, but she still finished with more points (seven) than any Monarchs guard.
Ticha Penicheiro and Campbell combined to score eight points on 3-for-13 shooting. Lawson, who missed six of eight shots, added four points and five assists, and Ruthie Bolton was scoreless in nine minutes. (plus Ruthie's hair was offensive, man!!!!)"It's not as easy as: If we (the guards) play better, then we win," Penicheiro said. "It's so much more than that, but obviously we can't shoot like we did in Game 3. Every shot I took felt good. I'd take them again. Next time, I'm hoping for better results."
Black - Positives that Monarchs can take away from this game
Red - negatives that need to improve for Game 3
Monarchs have been here
By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Monarchs were oblivious to the party that roared around them.
Seconds after Storm reserve Chelle Thompson drained a three-pointer at the buzzer, which only added to the indignity of the Monarchs' 66-54 defeat in last night's Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, they gathered in a huddle near the sideline.
Edna Campbell, a former Storm player, screamed so her teammates could hear her above the din. Her voice was barely audible, but the force of her words sent the message to the visitors from Sacramento.
And then, Kara Lawson, a rookie point guard, yelled to the screaming KeyArena crowd what everyone else was thinking.
"We'll be back, baby," she said as she raced into the locker room. "We'll be back."
(there is no quit in this team!!!)
The Monarchs are uniquely familiar to playing a decisive Game 3 in a hostile environment. They claimed the first game against Los Angeles in the first-round series, lost the second game and dispatched the Sparks 73-58 at Staples Center to advance to these conference finals.
"It's not like we got them exactly where we want them, but we feel confident where we are," Lawson said. "We've won Game 3 on the road before, and we know that we're capable of that.
"We had every opportunity in this game to lay down and quit and let them run away with it. But we fought back and almost made it a one-possession game. So that's one thing that I like."
Around the Monarchs' locker room, players took solace in their ability to erase an 18-point first-half deficit (32-14) and close to four points (58-54) with 1:03 remaining.
They praised DeMya Walker, who sank 7 of 9 shots for a team-high 15 points, and Yolanda Griffith, who scored 12.
Monarchs coach John Whisenant spoke highly of his defense, which forced 19 turnovers and held the Storm to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half.
But if Sacramento is to advance to its first WNBA Finals, Walker believes her Monarchs "must start the game with a sense of urgency."
"The way we try to close games, is the way we try to start games," she said.
For the second straight game, Sacramento fell behind early and trailed 36-27 at halftime. Unlike their series opening victory, when they also trailed by 11 at intermission before pulling out an overtime victory, the Monarchs couldn't find enough offense in their backcourt.
"We've been hearing that all season long," Lawson said. "Of how we can't score enough. True, we (the guards) need to do a better job offensively, but our focus is coming out defensively and playing well."
The Monarchs also failed in their task as Sue Bird, who played a second game while wearing a plastic mask to protect her broken nose, scored 12 points and collected five rebounds, five assists and three steals in 35 minutes.
Sacramento was able to harass Bird's backcourt mate, Betty Lennox, into four turnovers and 3-for-11 shooting, but she still finished with more points (seven) than any Monarchs guard.
Ticha Penicheiro and Campbell combined to score eight points on 3-for-13 shooting. Lawson, who missed six of eight shots, added four points and five assists, and Ruthie Bolton was scoreless in nine minutes.
(plus Ruthie's hair was offensive, man!!!!)"It's not as easy as: If we (the guards) play better, then we win," Penicheiro said. "It's so much more than that, but obviously we can't shoot like we did in Game 3. Every shot I took felt good. I'd take them again. Next time, I'm hoping for better results."