Sparks Show Little to Comets
HOUSTON — The Sparks, given a chance Thursday night to clinch their first trip to the WNBA playoffs, instead traveled in another direction, into third place.
The Houston Comets exploded to a 20-point halftime lead, then cruised to an easy 83-61 win at the Compaq Center. It was the second one-sided loss for the Sparks (17-10) in three games and their third defeat in a row.
The two-time champion Comets (22-5), one win from clinching the Western Conference and a first-round playoff bye, delivered a blow to the pretenders to their title, the Sparks.
The loss enabled idle Sacramento (18-10) to move half a game ahead of the Sparks in the West.
Forget about that 13-point Spark victory over Houston at the Great Western Forum three weeks ago. It’s not quite the same at the Compaq Center, not with a cheering, jeering crowd of 13,514 lifting the Comets to their offensive and defensive best.
“That was our best game, no doubt about it--at both ends of the court,†Houston Coach Van Chancellor said.
It was way too much for the Sparks.
“We ran into a great basketball team that was at its absolute best, and also playing great defense,†Spark Coach Orlando Woolridge said.
The Sparks started out respectably enough. When La’Keshia Frett made an eight-foot jump shot with 8:06 left in the first half, they trailed, 19-15.
But the Sparks’ next field goal came with nine seconds left in the half. Houston scored 17 straight points and led, 42-22, at halftime.
Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson combined for 52 points for Houston, with Swoopes (20) doing the most damage.
She began the game with two three-point baskets and scored four times in the 17-0 run. A candidate for defensive player of the year, she had three steals.
Did we say defense? The Sparks’ 17 field goals were a franchise low.
The Sparks finished July with a six-game win streak, but are struggling and must play again Saturday at Washington, against the much-improved Mystics.
After the defeat, after Woolridge had his say, his players asked him and his assistants to leave for a players-only meeting.
“We talked about ourselves, and what we can do to bring ourselves back as a team,†DeLisha Milton said. “What bothered me was that we were dropping our heads when things went against us, instead of hunkering down.
“All teams go through bad times, and this is ours. But we will recover. Each of us needs to remember what we brought to our win streaks and get that back.â€
Basketball Notes
Cynthia Cooper, already a two-time Olympian, will make it three in Sydney. Cooper is among five players who will be added to the U.S. women’s national basketball team on Saturday, USA Basketball confirmed Thursday. The 10-member team, which begins training next month, will form the nucleus of the 2000 Olympic team. DeLisha Milton, Chamique Holdsclaw, Yolanda Griffth and Natalie Williams also will be named to the 10-member team. Lisa Leslie, Nikki McCray, Katie Smith, Dawn Staley and Ruthie Bolton-Holifield were chosen in 1997. . . .
In WNBA action: Taj McWilliams’ layup with 7.9 seconds remaining gave the Orlando Miracle a 55-54 victory over the Cleveland Rockers before 7,028 in Orlando. The Miracle is 11-16, while the Rockers are a league-worst 6-22.
