Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Monday, June 27, 2005

Katie Smith averages 35.3 minutes and 16.7 points per game. Yesterday afternoon, foul trouble kept her on the bench for most of the second half, but that didn't stop her from leading all players in scoring in a 73-70 squeaker over Seattle. 15 of Smith's 22 points came in the last 6:20, when she came back in with the Lynx down by 3. Iziane Castro Marques could do absolutely nothing to stop her.

Nicole Ohlde, with help from Vanessa Hayden, did a terrific job neutralizing Lauren Jackson's scoring: she shot 1 for 11 and only managed 6 points for the game. No wonder LJ mouthed off to the refs.

Sue Bird took another bonk to the beak late in the second half, leading to a scary, quiet moment while she went to the bench to have the snoz checked out. Everything seemed fine, and she scored 6 points over the remaining seconds as everyone on the Lynx gave her space.

Hayden passed former Lynx and current Storm player Janel Burse in franchise blocks, for a total of 58 (Burse had 56 in her 2 seasons with the Lynx).