6/14: Comets Stop Storm
HOUSTON, TX -- The Houston Comets (2-7) picked up win number two of the 2008 WNBA season with a 68 to 60 victory over the Seattle Storm (7-5) in front of an announced Reliant Arena crowd of 7,023 fans.
Defense (or bad offense -- take your pick) was prevalent throughout the game. Neither team shot above 36% (Houston - 23 for 64, 35.9%; Seattle - 20 for 61, 32.8%) in the game from the field.
"I'm happy about the way we played the full forty minutes," said Comets head coach Karleen Thompson after the game. "We pretty much controlled what we can do on the court and not worry about what they (the Storm) can do. The bottom line was our defense. We did that for 40 minutes."
Tina Thompson led all scorers with 21 points. Thompson also added 10 rebounds.
Michelle Snow controlled the glass with a game-high 16 rebounds -- 12 in the first half.
"The shots weren't falling. You have to go to the boards and do something else for your team," said Snow after the game. "We needed somebody to get on the boards. Nobody was boxing me out; so it seemed like I could get the ball whenever I wanted."
Shannon Johnson added 14 points (4 for 7 from the field, 3 for 6 on threes) and four assists for the Comets.
"They (the Storm) just left me open," Johnson added in the post-game locker room. "They were doubling on Tina so much and trying to force her to give the ball up; so, we have to take the open shots when we're on the court. We just try to knock the shots down."
The officiating was inconsistent, to say the least, through much of the game.
After getting a jump shot blocked by Storm forward Swin Cash, Thompson launched a put back attempt from behind the three point line that appeared to be after the shot clock buzzer had expired. The refs counted the basket which gave the Comets a 62 to 55 lead with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
In her first game as a visiting opponent, Storm guard / forward Sheryl Swoopes scored eight points (3 for 10); pulled down six rebounds; and dished three assists and picked up two steals in her return to Houston.
"You really can’t look at their record and think that they are not very good because they are honestly one of the better teams in the league," Swoopes commented. "And they have definitely played us harder than any other team in the league. We knew coming in that they were going to be ready, they were going to be aggressive; they were going to attack us. We still had opportunities in the end but we didn’t capitalize on them."
Comets appreciate Crowd Support
"The crowd. It's the crowd. The crowd gets you in it. Reliant Arena is an intimate place and that's what we love about this building. It definitely helps. The crowd was definitely the key to this win."
-- Karleen Thompson, Comets head coach.
"The fans have always come out and supported us and that's a lot of fun to play in front of them. We've finally got some games at home; so we have to try and finish them off (and get the wins.)"
-- Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson, Comets point guard.
"The crowd helps -- especially in crunch time -- when Seattle was making their run. We need the extra help the extra energy. That helps! When you're tired, that extra energy helps. When you're tired at the end of games, the crowd helps you push through. We need that every night. I think we play great at home with our fans' help."
-- Michelle Snow, Comets center.
Defense (or bad offense -- take your pick) was prevalent throughout the game. Neither team shot above 36% (Houston - 23 for 64, 35.9%; Seattle - 20 for 61, 32.8%) in the game from the field.
"I'm happy about the way we played the full forty minutes," said Comets head coach Karleen Thompson after the game. "We pretty much controlled what we can do on the court and not worry about what they (the Storm) can do. The bottom line was our defense. We did that for 40 minutes."
Tina Thompson led all scorers with 21 points. Thompson also added 10 rebounds.
Michelle Snow controlled the glass with a game-high 16 rebounds -- 12 in the first half.
"The shots weren't falling. You have to go to the boards and do something else for your team," said Snow after the game. "We needed somebody to get on the boards. Nobody was boxing me out; so it seemed like I could get the ball whenever I wanted."
Shannon Johnson added 14 points (4 for 7 from the field, 3 for 6 on threes) and four assists for the Comets.
"They (the Storm) just left me open," Johnson added in the post-game locker room. "They were doubling on Tina so much and trying to force her to give the ball up; so, we have to take the open shots when we're on the court. We just try to knock the shots down."
The officiating was inconsistent, to say the least, through much of the game.
After getting a jump shot blocked by Storm forward Swin Cash, Thompson launched a put back attempt from behind the three point line that appeared to be after the shot clock buzzer had expired. The refs counted the basket which gave the Comets a 62 to 55 lead with 35 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
In her first game as a visiting opponent, Storm guard / forward Sheryl Swoopes scored eight points (3 for 10); pulled down six rebounds; and dished three assists and picked up two steals in her return to Houston.
"You really can’t look at their record and think that they are not very good because they are honestly one of the better teams in the league," Swoopes commented. "And they have definitely played us harder than any other team in the league. We knew coming in that they were going to be ready, they were going to be aggressive; they were going to attack us. We still had opportunities in the end but we didn’t capitalize on them."
Comets appreciate Crowd Support
"The crowd. It's the crowd. The crowd gets you in it. Reliant Arena is an intimate place and that's what we love about this building. It definitely helps. The crowd was definitely the key to this win."
-- Karleen Thompson, Comets head coach.
"The fans have always come out and supported us and that's a lot of fun to play in front of them. We've finally got some games at home; so we have to try and finish them off (and get the wins.)"
-- Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson, Comets point guard.
"The crowd helps -- especially in crunch time -- when Seattle was making their run. We need the extra help the extra energy. That helps! When you're tired, that extra energy helps. When you're tired at the end of games, the crowd helps you push through. We need that every night. I think we play great at home with our fans' help."
-- Michelle Snow, Comets center.
posted by Kris Gardner @ 9:32 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home