Storm Dominates Exhibition Against Chinese
However, there was also plenty of evidence last night as the Storm battled the Chinese National Team at The Furtado Center, the Sonics and Storm Training Facility, that this was anything but a typical game, even for the preseason.
 Storm guard Sue Bird drives on China's Song Xiaoyun. Ron Wurzer/AP |
Later, the differences began piling up. Storm center Janell Burse picked up her sixth foul, and then a seventh – unofficially, a WNBA record – but continued playing anyways. Then, after the teams had concluded two twenty-minute halves, up went another 10 minutes for a third half, er, “period”.
If all that wasn’t convincing enough, perhaps the best evidence was provided by the scoreboard itself, as the Storm crushed the Chinese by a 117-73 final – a larger margin than the Storm’s biggest regular-season victory, an 89-48 demolition of the Phoenix Mercury on Jul. 19, 2002.
The Chinese National Team, which is touring the US during the month of May and will play three WNBA teams in “real” exhibition games, kept things close in the early going, trailing by only a half-dozen or so midway through the first half. It would not be long until the Storm’s superior talent proved itself out, and the hosts expanded their lead to 16 by halftime, 53-37.
The second half saw both teams tighten up defensively, aided by more time for the benches, but the Storm still dominated to lead 93-61 at the conclusion of what would normally be regulation. In the extra session, Storm Coach Anne Donovan went back to her starting lineup, which outscored the Chinese 24-12 over the ten-minute period.
Loaded with strong perimeter players, the Chinese shot 40% from three-point range and 85% from the free-throw line, but they were physically outmatched, particularly on the inside. The result? The Storm shot 55.2% from the field, the Chinese 39.4%, and the Storm won the battle of the boards 37-23. As is to be expected at this time of year, both teams struggled with turnovers, with the Storm committing 20 and the Chinese 35.
If any one thing did in the Chinese, however, it was Storm forward Lauren Jackson – who they can’t relish potentially facing in this summer’s Olympics. Jackson looked a bit sluggish during Monday’s practice, but she was in midseason form during the exhibition, connecting on 14-of-19 field-goal attempts to score 32 points. Burse, who started at center with Kamila Vodichkova overseas, added 16 points and eight rebounds.
Point guard Sue Bird struggled to find her shot, going scoreless in the first half and finishing with four points, but she was dazzling with the ball. Both of Bird’s scores were highlight-type plays. On one, she bounced a layup off the front rim, off the backboard, and in – a play that would be effective in a game of Horse. On the other, she was on the receiving end of a spectacular pass on a give-and-go with Jackson that freed Bird for a layup. The most dazzling of Bird’s game-high eight assists was a lookaway feed to Burse for another layup.
On the perimeter, newcomers Betty Lennox and Sheri Sam were both effective, combining to score 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting. Lennox canned a pair of three-pointers, demonstrating the skill that the Storm hopes will make teams think about doubling Jackson in the post. Sam, who turns 30 today, came off the bench, with Adia Barnes getting the start at small forward.
In addition to Sam, the rest of the bench was generally effective. Alicia Thompson was all over the boards, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. Tonya Massaline and Tully Bevilaqua both supplied scoring punch from the perimeter, scoring 11 and nine points, respectively. Guard Michelle Greco, who played only sparingly, was the only Storm player held scoreless.
Notes
Box Score
FG 3P FT
# Player Pos M A M A M A REB AST STL BLK TO PTS EFF
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10 Bird G 2 7 0 3 0 0 3 8 3 0 3 4 10
22 Lennox G 5 9 2 2 0 0 3 4 1 0 1 12 15
33 Burse C 7 14 0 0 2 4 8 1 3 2 4 16 17
15 Jackson F 14 19 2 2 2 2 6 3 4 1 2 32 39
32 Barnes F 0 4 0 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 2 2 -1
55 Sam 6 10 0 0 1 1 2 3 4 0 3 13 15
44 Bevilaqua 2 5 1 2 4 4 2 3 2 0 2 9 11
12 Massaline 5 7 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 10 11
43 Thompson 2 6 0 0 2 2 11 4 0 0 1 6 16
54 Walseth 3 6 0 0 3 4 2 1 1 0 0 9 9
23 Williams 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 4 5
20 Greco 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 -2
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TOTALS 48 87 5 9 16 19 37 35 21 3 20 117
PCTS .552 .555 .842
CHINESE TOTALS 26 66 4 10 17 20 23 14 6 2 35 73
PCTS .394 .400 .850
SCORE BY PERIODS:
1 2 3 TOT
CHI 37 24 12 73
SEA 53 40 24 117
