Sacramento led early but fell down late; Detroit tied the series wiith a furious rally.

The Shock trailed for three quarters, then outscored the defending champs by an astounding 25 to 9 in the fourth. Smith scored all her 16 after halftime; Nolan led everyone with 21.

Penicheiro, who shot 0-8, blamed herself. "I knew ... they were going to double off me and leave me open," she said. "I knew I was going to have to hit open shots and stay aggressive, and I didn't do that. I had a terrible game."

Cash, who quarreled with coach Laimbeer Wednesday, showed up in force. Laimbeer: "That's the stat line I envisioned for [Cash] ... That's what we want from her every game."

The Donna met the press before tipoff, deflecting the usual questions about attendance. The Palace filled up in the Shock's '03 championship run, when the city had no other summer or fall teams that won; this year saw over 9K Wednesday, over 15K (announced) Friday-- not bad, but not quite what it once was.