USA - Fever too hot to handle for Detroit

NEW YORK (WNBA) - Tamika Catchings had 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Indiana Fever to a 77-67 victory over the Detroit Shock in a battle of the top two teams in the WNBA league.

Tammy Sutton-Brown had 17 points and K.B. Sharp added 13 for the Fever (9-2), who handed the Shock their first defeat of the season.

Deanna Nolan and Katie Feenstra added 14 points apiece for Detroit, who fell behind 23-13 after the opening quarter and never recovered. 

The Shock clearly missed the presence of forward Cheryl Ford, who did not play after injuring her knee in a collision with team-mate Swin Cash at the end of Friday's win over Connecticut.

This was the first meeting between the teams since last year's play-offs, when Detroit swept Indiana in the first round en route to their second WNBA title.

Chelsea Newton scored a career-high 17 points and veteran Yolanda Griffith added 13 as the Sacramento Monarchs defeated the winless Houston Comets 75-63.

Rebekkah Brunson had 12 points and seven rebounds and reserve Scholanda Robinson scored 10 for Sacramento (7-3), who have won five of their last six games.

Houston (0-10) have made the second worst start in league history. The Detroit Shock set the WNBA record by opening the 2002 season 0-13.

Sacramento, who shot 42 percent (25-of-60), trailed 30-26 at half-time before an 8-0 run at the end of the third quarter gave the Monarchs a 47-40 lead entering the final period.

In other games, the Minnesota Lynx continued their recovery from a poor start to the season with an 83-58 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Kristen Mann scored 16 points and Nicole Ohlde added 15 for the Lynx, who won back-to-back games for the first time in over a year. 

Minnesota are 3-2 in their last five games after beginning the season with seven straight losses.

And Becky Hammon had 22 points to lead the San Antonio Silver Stars to a 79-71 victory over the New York Liberty.

Hammon, who played for New York for seven seasons, also had seven assists for San Antonio, who took a 42-31 lead into the intermission and never looked back.

Ian Parker
FIBA