Game: Seattle Storm (3-7) vs. San Antonio Silver Stars (4-4) When: 7 p.m. Friday Where: Key Arena Meeting: Second TV: None
Fresh off a dramatic 65-62 win over the Minnesota Lynx, the Storm will try to extend its winning streak to three games against a San Antonio team that clipped them 80-67 on the road earlier this season.
With a victory, the Storm would extend its home winning streak over San Antonio to nine games. Sue Bird will try to continue her recent uptick in offensive production after scoring a team-high 21 points Sunday. Her performance against the Silver Stars June 9 was forgettable: five points on 1-13 shooting in her worst game of the season.
The Silver Stars feature three players averaging in double figures. Sophia Young leads all San Antonio scorers with 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
The game’s key matchup will showcase Bird taking on 13-year WNBA veteran Becky Hammon. The Silver Stars guard is averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 assists per game. San Antonio’s most efficient player anchors a club coming off consecutive wins after a 98-85 victory over the LA Sparks on Sunday. In eight games, she is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field while connecting on 88 percent of her free throws.
However, the game may come down to Hammon’s ability to limit Seattle’s franchise player. The Storm is 0-7 in 2012 when Bird scores fewer than 15 points per game.
Seattle Stats/Notes:
- After 10 points Sunday against Minnesota, Tina Thompson became the only other Seattle player averaging in double figures, 10.2 points per contest. Ann Wauters is third with 9.5 points per game.
- Tanisha Wright played arguably her best game of the season against the Lynx, dropping 12 points on 5-11 shooting in 33 minutes of action.
- Shekinna Stricklen’s up-and-down rookie season has continued into the late stages of June. Stricklen has gone scoreless in two of her last three games.
- The Storm moved to 2-1 at home with its win on Sunday. It concludes its three-game homestand Sunday afternoon against the Washington Mystics.
- Bird is averaging 23 points per game in Storm wins.
San Antonio Stats/Notes:
- San Antonio’s Danielle Adams is a matchup problem waiting to happen. At six-foot-one, 240 pounds, the Texas A&M graduate is averaging 12.6 points and nearly five rebounds per game at power forward.
- The Silver Stars have lost by an average of 14.4 points per game in their eight-game road losing streak to Seattle.
- San Antonio center Tangela Smith is out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in late May. The off-season acquisition has played in just two game with the Silver Stars.
Coaches: Brian Agler is in his fifth season with Seattle while Dan Hughes has coached the Silver Stars for seven years.
Coming Up: The Storm takes on Washington Mystics Sunday.
SEATTLE STORM 2012 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
| Date | Opponent | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/18/12 | vs. Los Angeles | L | 66-72 | 0-1 |
| 5/22/12 | at Los Angeles | L | 74-61 | 0-2 |
| 5/27/12 | at Minnesota | L | 84-71 | 0-3 |
| 6/1/12 | vs. Tulsa | W | 76-58 | 1-3 |
| 6/3/12 | at Los Angeles | L | 65-67 | 1-4 |
| 6/6/12 | at Minnesota | L | 55-79 | 1-5 |
| 6/9/12 | at San Antonio | L | 67-80 | 1-6 |
| 6/13/12 | at Chicago | L | 58-74 | 1-7 |
| 6/15/12 | at Tulsa | W | 86-73 | 2-7 |
| 6/17/12 | vs. Minnesota | W | 65-62 | 3-7 |
| 6/22/12 | vs. San Antonio | — | — | — |
| 6/24/12 | vs. Washington | — | — | — |
| 6/26/12 | at Washington | — | — | — |
| 6/30/12 | at New York | — | — | — |
| 7/1/12 | at Connecticut | — | — | — |
| 7/7/12 | at Los Angeles | — | — | — |
| 7/8/12 | vs. Phoenix | — | — | — |
| 7/11/12 | vs. Atlanta | — | — | — |
| 7/13/12 | at Phoenix | — | — | — |
| 8/16/12 | vs. Phoenix | — | — | — |
| 8/18/12 | vs. Los Angeles | — | — | — |
| 8/21/12 | vs. Minnesota | — | — | — |
| 8/23/12 | vs. Indiana | — | — | — |
| 8/26/12 | vs. New York | — | — | — |
| 8/30/12 | vs. Phoenix | — | — | — |
| 9/6/12 | vs. Tulsa | — | — | — |
| 9/8/12 | at Tulsa | — | — | — |
| 9/11/12 | at Atlanta | — | — | — |
| 9/12/12 | at Indiana | — | — | — |
| 9/14/12 | at San Antonio | — | — | — |
| 9/16/12 | vs. Connecticut | — | — | — |
| 9/18/12 | vs. Chicago | — | — | — |
| 9/21/12 | vs. San Antonio | — | — | — |
| 9/23/12 | at Phoenix | — | — | — |