The Sting keep sinking. The Storm played another game without Sue, and they didn't play great, but it was still good enough for a win at the Charlotte Coliseum.

"We couldn't score," Dawn Staley said. "That's been our nemesis in the first eight games." The Sting shot 31%.

At the Garden, New York held on for a big win over Detroit.

Vickie Johnson, who had a rough outing last time against the Shock, led the Lib with 21. "I've been sleeping on it, and I wanted to come out and be aggressive today," she said.

"I don't know about a signature win, but they're sitting on top of the East," coach Patty Coyle said. "Anytime you can give them a loss and get a win, it's basically two wins. It's a good win for us today."

While in New York, coach Laimbeer met again with Isaiah Thomas about the Knicks coaching job. But with an NBA lockout looming, the Knicks are in no hurry to fill the post.

To his credit, Laimbeer is being upfront about the process, and as Swin Cash told Lobo on the sidelines yesterday, the Shock players hear everything from him first before they hear it in the press.

"I've made no secret that I would like to coach in the NBA," Laimbeer said. "The ladies are aware of that, and also supportive. I enjoy my time with them, but they understand someday I will [leave]. Whether now, or next year or two years, the timetable is unclear. That's why we are trying to build a team able to handle the loss of any player or coach."