East finally wins WNBA All-Star game
(AP)
Updated: 2006-07-13 11:02
Katie Douglas scored 16 points and Katie Smith had 14 to help the Eastern
Conference cruise to its first victory in seven WNBA All-Star games, 98-82 over
the West on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Connecticut Sun guard Katie Douglas (R),
playing for the East team, gets a kiss from her husband Vasilis
Giapalakis, after she got the MVP trophy as the East beat the West team
98-82 in the WNBA All-Star game in New York's Madison Square Garden, July
12, 2006.[Reuters] |
Douglas shot 4-for-7 on 3-pointers and had five rebounds and four assists to
earn MVP honors. Cheryl Ford added 13 points, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin and
Lindsay Whalen scored 10 apiece for the East, which took control with a 39-13
run spanning halftime.
Whalen, who also had six assists and five rebounds, stretched the East's lead
to 72-49 with a driving layup with 2:20 left in the third quarter. Tamika
Whitmore's hook shot in the final minute of the period increased the lead to 25,
and Candice Dupree's layup with 7:39 to go gave the East its biggest lead at
85-58.
Rookie Seimone Augustus was the only double-figure scorer for the West,
finishing with 16 points.
The East won despite playing without injured starters Tamika Cachings of
Indiana, Nykesha Sales of Connecticut and New York's Becky Hammon.
With the outcome secure, the teams attempted a mini slam-dunk contest in the
final seconds. Diana Taurasi made a try, but was stopped by the rim. Michelle
Snow got the rebound and was given a clear path but also hit the rim. She
tracked down the loose ball and made her second attempt with 6.3 seconds left.
Deanna Nolan tried to make one for the East, but was short on her attempt
before time expired.
The East closed the second quarter with a 16-4 run to take a 49-40 lead at
halftime, only the second time it has led at the break and eclipsed its
eight-point margin at the midpoint in 2003. Smith started the run with a jumper
and also had a 3-pointer, and Ford had six points.
The Connecticut Sun stole the show early for the East, combining for 16 of
the team's 27 points in the first quarter. Douglas had all 11 of her first-half
points in the period — including 3 3-pointers. McWilliams-Franklin made a layup
and a free throw and Margo Dydek had a basket.
The 7-foot-2 Dydek finished with nine rebounds and four blocks.
|
