Monarchs will try to rebound
Fatigue may have factored into Sacramento's late breakdown in Game 2.
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, September 3, 2006
The Bee's Melody Gutierrez can be reached at (916) 326-5521 or mgutierrez@sacbee.com.
Monarchs coach John Whisenant uses an acronym to describe what his team must be to repeat as the WNBA champion. He calls it FAD.
Focused.
Alert.
Determined.
Whisenant will ask his players to be all three today at Arco Arena, where the Monarchs face Detroit at 1:30 p.m. in Game 3 of their best-of-five series. The Monarchs must be focused after watching an 11-point lead fall through their fingers Friday for a 73-63 loss to the Shock in Game 2 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
With the series tied 1-1, the Monarchs must return more alert than they were in the last game, when Detroit capitalized on its 25-9 fourth-quarter explosion. Determination has never been hard to find in the Monarchs' locker room, but Sacramento will need plenty if it wants to send coach Bill Laimbeer's "bad girls" home empty-handed following Wednesday's Game 4 at Arco Arena.
"(The Shock is) back in the series," Whisenant said. "We have to roll up our sleeves and not let them get one on our home court."
Until Friday's loss, Sacramento had not lost in five playoff games, taking sizable victories from Houston and Los Angeles. The Monarchs also set a WNBA Finals scoring record when they defeated Detroit 95-71 in Game 1 on Wednesday.
"We are not going to hold our heads down," center Yolanda Griffith said. "We are going home, and the crowd is going to be behind us like Detroit was for (the Shock)."
Saturday's Monarchs practice consisted mostly of watching film and shooting drills before Whisenant excused the team with the pretense that they get some rest and go to bed early.
Whisenant said he thinks fatigue led to his team's fourth-quarter breakdown Friday. He said he wished he had subbed players in differently, allowing Griffith and forward DeMya Walker, who both went 1 for 4 in the second half, to play in shorter spurts.
Walker's four turnovers and three fouls in the second half eventually forced Whisenant to take her out of the game.
"Those turnovers were in critical times," Whisenant said. "That's what she does when she is tired."
Walker, who finished with 10 points, said she didn't feel fatigued but knew she was forcing shots out of frustration of being double-teamed.
"We brought the intensity in the beginning, and it came down to a mental error," Walker said. "I feel situation-wise, we feel more comfortable at Arco."
The Monarchs certainly do, with 10 consecutive playoff victories on their home floor since 2001. Sacramento beat Detroit by an average of 36.5 points in their last two regular-season meetings at Arco Arena.
With Game 5 scheduled for Joe Lewis Arena in downtown Detroit, the Monarchs hope to finish the series on their home court, much as they did last season when they beat the Connecticut Sun 3-1 for their first WNBA title. In that series, Sacramento also lost Game 2.
But Griffith doesn't like to compare this year's series with last season's championship run.
"This is not Connecticut," Griffith said. "This is Detroit. They won't fold over, and this is not guaranteed."
Which is why Whisenant is asking his team to put its previous loss in Detroit behind it, muscle up and fight for a championship that seemed unlikely during a regular season marked by adversity. To do that, he needs the Monarchs to remain focused, alert and determined.
GAME 3
Shock (23-11, 5-2) at Monarchs (21-13, 5-1)
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Where: Arco Arena
TV: ESPN
Radio: KHTK 1140
Three keys for the Monarchs
1. Forget Game 2. Return to Arco Arena with the intention of closing the series here. Sacramento defeated Detroit by an average of 36.5 points in the teams' last two regular-season meetings at Arco Arena.
2. Ticha Penicheiro needs to step up. The Monarchs point guard went 0 for 8 with no points Friday. If she scores, she forces teams to guard her.
3. Slow Deanna Nolan. The speedy guard played all of Friday's game, scoring 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting.
Three keys for the Shock
1. Keep up the intensity. The Monarchs were worn out by the fourth quarter Friday, giving up their lead and falling apart.
2. Maintain pressure on perimeter shooters Kara Lawson and Nicole Powell. They helped the Monarchs to a Game 1 victory with a combined 10 three-pointers.
3. Watch the fouls. Sacramento scored 18 points on free throws Friday.
Probable Monarchs starters
No. Player Pos.
20 Kara Lawson G
21 Ticha Penicheiro G
33 Yolanda Griffith C
22 DeMya Walker F
14 Nicole Powell F
Probable Shock starters
No. Player Pos.
14 Deanna Nolan G
30 Katie Smith G
00 Ruth Riley C
35 Cheryl Ford F
32 Swin Cash F
Fatigue may have factored into Sacramento's late breakdown in Game 2.
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, September 3, 2006
The Bee's Melody Gutierrez can be reached at (916) 326-5521 or mgutierrez@sacbee.com.
Monarchs coach John Whisenant uses an acronym to describe what his team must be to repeat as the WNBA champion. He calls it FAD.
Focused.
Alert.
Determined.
Whisenant will ask his players to be all three today at Arco Arena, where the Monarchs face Detroit at 1:30 p.m. in Game 3 of their best-of-five series. The Monarchs must be focused after watching an 11-point lead fall through their fingers Friday for a 73-63 loss to the Shock in Game 2 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
With the series tied 1-1, the Monarchs must return more alert than they were in the last game, when Detroit capitalized on its 25-9 fourth-quarter explosion. Determination has never been hard to find in the Monarchs' locker room, but Sacramento will need plenty if it wants to send coach Bill Laimbeer's "bad girls" home empty-handed following Wednesday's Game 4 at Arco Arena.
"(The Shock is) back in the series," Whisenant said. "We have to roll up our sleeves and not let them get one on our home court."
Until Friday's loss, Sacramento had not lost in five playoff games, taking sizable victories from Houston and Los Angeles. The Monarchs also set a WNBA Finals scoring record when they defeated Detroit 95-71 in Game 1 on Wednesday.
"We are not going to hold our heads down," center Yolanda Griffith said. "We are going home, and the crowd is going to be behind us like Detroit was for (the Shock)."
Saturday's Monarchs practice consisted mostly of watching film and shooting drills before Whisenant excused the team with the pretense that they get some rest and go to bed early.
Whisenant said he thinks fatigue led to his team's fourth-quarter breakdown Friday. He said he wished he had subbed players in differently, allowing Griffith and forward DeMya Walker, who both went 1 for 4 in the second half, to play in shorter spurts.
Walker's four turnovers and three fouls in the second half eventually forced Whisenant to take her out of the game.
"Those turnovers were in critical times," Whisenant said. "That's what she does when she is tired."
Walker, who finished with 10 points, said she didn't feel fatigued but knew she was forcing shots out of frustration of being double-teamed.
"We brought the intensity in the beginning, and it came down to a mental error," Walker said. "I feel situation-wise, we feel more comfortable at Arco."
The Monarchs certainly do, with 10 consecutive playoff victories on their home floor since 2001. Sacramento beat Detroit by an average of 36.5 points in their last two regular-season meetings at Arco Arena.
With Game 5 scheduled for Joe Lewis Arena in downtown Detroit, the Monarchs hope to finish the series on their home court, much as they did last season when they beat the Connecticut Sun 3-1 for their first WNBA title. In that series, Sacramento also lost Game 2.
But Griffith doesn't like to compare this year's series with last season's championship run.
"This is not Connecticut," Griffith said. "This is Detroit. They won't fold over, and this is not guaranteed."
Which is why Whisenant is asking his team to put its previous loss in Detroit behind it, muscle up and fight for a championship that seemed unlikely during a regular season marked by adversity. To do that, he needs the Monarchs to remain focused, alert and determined.
GAME 3
Shock (23-11, 5-2) at Monarchs (21-13, 5-1)
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Where: Arco Arena
TV: ESPN
Radio: KHTK 1140
Three keys for the Monarchs
1. Forget Game 2. Return to Arco Arena with the intention of closing the series here. Sacramento defeated Detroit by an average of 36.5 points in the teams' last two regular-season meetings at Arco Arena.
2. Ticha Penicheiro needs to step up. The Monarchs point guard went 0 for 8 with no points Friday. If she scores, she forces teams to guard her.
3. Slow Deanna Nolan. The speedy guard played all of Friday's game, scoring 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting.
Three keys for the Shock
1. Keep up the intensity. The Monarchs were worn out by the fourth quarter Friday, giving up their lead and falling apart.
2. Maintain pressure on perimeter shooters Kara Lawson and Nicole Powell. They helped the Monarchs to a Game 1 victory with a combined 10 three-pointers.
3. Watch the fouls. Sacramento scored 18 points on free throws Friday.
Probable Monarchs starters
No. Player Pos.
20 Kara Lawson G
21 Ticha Penicheiro G
33 Yolanda Griffith C
22 DeMya Walker F
14 Nicole Powell F
Probable Shock starters
No. Player Pos.
14 Deanna Nolan G
30 Katie Smith G
00 Ruth Riley C
35 Cheryl Ford F
32 Swin Cash F
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