Comets vs. Monarchs

Update -- 9:32pm. Post-game comments from Monarchs head coach Jenny Boucek. "They're a good team and they're playing really well," Boucek said of the Comets. "We don't have one of our major weapons offensively (shooting guard Kara Lawson); but, for us, it's always about our defense. We were okay defensively; but, we never took them out of their comfort zone and have any type of defensive rhythm. We rely on that heavily."

HRR: Were you surprised they started the big line up (Sancho Lyttle; Tina Thompson; and Michelle Snow)?
Boucek: Not surprised; but, that line up presents a lot of problems for us. They're tough to guard that way; but, they're also big and long defensively; so, you're having a tough time scoring inside. We already struggle with that because we're undersized. We're not a big team which puts a lot of pressure on our shooters; and, we're down one shooter. Offensively, we were a little bit challenged; but, I give a lot of credit to Houston. They're playing extremely, extremely well right now. That's a good team. This is not a game where I feel like we broke down or this and that. They beat us. We did not do enough things well to break their rhythm that they've been in for a while now. I was impressed with them today.

Update -- 3:57pm. Final Score: Comets 73, Monarchs 65.


The Houston Comets improved to 9-9 on the season with a solid 73 to 65 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs (8-10). Houston's starting five combined for 67 points in teh game led by 19 points from Tina Thompson. Thompson missed the previous four games with a fractured left ring finger. Michelle Snow added 17 points while teammates Hamchetou Maiga-Ba scored 12 points and dished out five assists. Sancho Lyttle scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. Shannon Johnson scored nine points and handed out seven assists.


Houston led 58 to 55 to start the fourth quarter; and stretched the lead to seven with points from Snow and Thompson.


The Comets shot 52.5% (32 for 61) from the field including 7 for 15 in the fourth quarter. The Comets limited the Monarchs to just 3 for 15 in the final period.


Nicole Powell led the Monarchs with 18 points (6 for 18 from the field but for 4 for 8 from the three-point line).


Update -- 3:31 pm. End of Third Quarter: Comets 58, Monarchs 55.
Thompson leads all scorers with 14 points. Snow has 11; Lyttle -- 10; Johnson -- 9; and Maiga-Ba -- 8.
Powell leads the Monarchs with 12 points. Harper still has 11 points. Crystal Kelly has 8 points. Four players (Williams-Strong, Ticha, Scholanda and Chelsea) each with 4 points.


Points in paint: Monarchs 26, Comets 28.
2nd Chance Points: Monarchs 13, Comets 4.


Comets: 25 for 46 (54.3%) from the field -- 19 assists. Monarchs: 21 for 48 -- 12 assists.


Turnovers: Monarchs - 12. Comets - 11.


Update -- 2:50pm. End of Second Quarter: Tied at 41.
Sacramento forward Laura Harper leads all scorers with 11 points -- off the bench.


Michelle Snow and Shannon Johnson each scored nine points in the half. Lyttle scored eight; Tina Thompson added five; Maiga-Ba and Ajavon each scored four points.


Comets: 17 for 31 (54.8%) from the field on 13 assists. Monarchs: 17 for 36 (47.2%) on 10 assists.
Comets: 17 total rebounds. Monarchs 18 total rebounds.
Comets turned the ball over eight times. Sacto - just seven times.


Update -- 2:26pm. 
End of First Quarter: Comets 22, Monarchs 20.


Lyttle leads all scorers with eight points. Snow has six. Tina played nine minutes in the quarter but didn't score. The Comets made 11 of 18 from the field. Sacto shot 9 for 16 from the field.


The Monarchs were led by five points from Nicole Powell. Four from Adrian Williams-Strong.


Points in the paint: Monarchs 14, Comets 16.


Update -- 1:52pm, Here are the starting line-ups and the officials:


Sacramento Monarchs
F - Nicole Powell
F - Rebekkah Brunson
C - Adrian Williams-Strong
G - Ticha Penicheiro
G - Scholanda Robinson


Houston Comets
F - Tina Thompson
F - Sancho Lyttle
C - Michelle Snow
G - Hamchetou Maiga-Ba
G -Shannon Johnson


Officials
# 7 - Clarke Stevens
#46 - Metta Roberts
#24 - Tony Dawkins




Update -- 1:33pm, Tina Thompson is in uniform for the Comets; so, she's expected to play. Tamecka Dixon and Mwadi Mabika are on the Inactive List. Though she's not on the list for Sacto, Kara Lawson won't play today. (She's not in uniform.)


Update -- 12:48pm, The Comets signed Roneeka Hodges to a seven-day contract today. Ro is uniform for today's game versus the Sacramento Monarchs.


HOUSTON, TX -- Saturday afternoonn (2pm CDT), in an unofficial start to the second half of the 2008 WNBA regular season, the Houston Comets will face the Sacramento Monarchs in an important game for playoff positioning in the Western Conference.

Both teams are 8 and 9 and trail the fourth-place Phoenix Mercury (8-7) by one game in the standings but two games in the loss column. (Four teams from each conference qualify for the WNBA Playoffs.)

Today's game will be the second time this season the Comets will play the Monarchs. The Comets lost to the Monarchs 73 to 66 in Sacramento on May 30. That loss by the Comets was the team's fourth of five straight losses to start the 2008 season. Since that 0-5 start, the Comets are 8 and 4 including winning three of their last four games without forward Tina Thompson (out with a fractured left ring finger).

Thompson is a game-time decision for today's ball game. Tamecka Dixon, veteran shooting guard, is expected to miss the game (her fifth straight) as she rests her Achilles' tendon.

The Comets are 7 and 3 in their last 10 games while the Monarchs evenly split their last 10 games (5-5).