Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Sunday, July 12, 2009

1) Says Q: Mercury Beat Monarchs in a Thriller: Who Says WNBA Basketball Isn't Exciting?
Whoa -- what an amazing game between the Mercury and Monarchs! One of the best played overall of a very well played week in the WNBA.

You have to feel for the Monarchs -- they really outplayed the Mercury for the majority of the game and completely neutralized the type of Mercury blitz that the Sparks and Sky had to endure...(WHB note: But does yet another Sacto loss spell the end for Jenny B?)
2) Well, I'd say it was a different kind of exciting at the Garden last night, but let's not split hairs, 'kay? :-) Suffice it to say that I'm rather fond of the Dream at the moment, that JMac hates the #7 and would like to burn all but the last two minutes of this game tape, and that going 18-18 on freethrows is a GOOD thing. That, and a furious comeback, some seriously important defensive stops, and the tantalizing possiblity that the Scarlet Knight contingent might start participating in the season.

3) Down at the Phone Booth, 12,217 (yeah winning! yeah Candace Parker hype!) watched Alana Beard score 26 points (and CP score 2), and the Mystics end the game on a 12-0 run to get the 75-63 victory over the Sparks.

LA owner Kathy G checks in: The girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead
The Sparks started the game against the Washington Mystics like we started against New York. We make things so much harder for ourselves by letting the first six to eight minutes get away from us. At one point in the first quarter our entire team was being beaten by Alana Beard by herself—she had all 13 of the Mystics' points to our 2. It had the makings of a blowout. I was emboldened by the experience in New York though, where we had finally woken up and played hard and pulled out a win, so I did not totally give in to despair.
4) In Connecticut, Detroit beat the Sun in technicals (4-0) and in OT, 79-77. The game featured 17 lead changes, 16 ties, no Deanna Nolan and 25 points from Katie "don't call me long in the tooth" Smith.