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Archive for November, 2009

Batkovic-Brown Beats Jackson’s New Team

Monday, November 30th, 2009

With Lauren Jackson watching in street clothes from the bench, her new (old) Canberra TransAct Capitals squad fell victim to a familiar foe on Sunday. Storm teammate Suzy Batkovic-Brown scored a season-high-tying 31 points as the host Sydney Uni Acuvue Flames defeated Canberra 76-66. With the win, their sixth straight, the Flames moved into second place in the WNBL. Batkovic-Brown dominated the paint, shooting 13-of-21 from the field and pulling down 12 rebounds.

The impressive stretch has seen Sydney beat most of the other top contenders in the WNBL. Still, the competition is tight after 10-1 Bulleen, who sits top of table. The Flames and Bendigo are tied at 8-3, with Townsville (7-3) a half-game back and Canberra and Adelaide (both 7-5) lurking. The Capitals will become much more dangerous when Jackson returns to game action, possibly as soon as next weekend.

In Europe, K.V. Imperial AEL continued unbeaten in EuroCup play with a 62-53 home win on Thursday over Dynamo Kursk. Defense and balanced scoring carried Imperial on a day when the team shot just 27.3 percent on two-point shots. Tanisha Wright’s 15 points led Imperial, but six players scored at least eight points in the win. Included was Camille Little, who added 12 rebounds and four steals to her eight points. (That actually dropped Little’s rebound average slightly to 12.3 per game, good for third in EuroCup play.) Imperial forced 26 Kursk turnovers and limited Atlanta center Michelle Snow to five points on 2-of-7 shooting. At 3-0, Imperial is atop Group H at the midway point of pool play, having beaten each of the other teams in the group.

Wisla Can-Pack fell 83-76 Sunday in PLKK Polish League play to undefeated and league-leading AZS Gorzow. Janell Burse, who played just 21 minutes, had nine points and four rebounds. Wisla, which struggled early in the season before Burse and Iziane Castro Marques arrived, is now fifth in the league at 7-4.

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Storm in Macy’s Holiday Parade

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Storm mascot Doppler and the Storm Dance Troupe will make their second appearance in the Macy’s 24th Annual Holiday Parade this Friday. Doppler and Dance Troupe members will travel the parade route in a vehicle provided by Storm corporate partner, Carter Subaru. The parade gets underway at 8:45 a.m. at travels from 7th and Pine and concludes at the downtown Macy’s.

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Wisla Escapes Unscathed

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Gospic Croatia nearly erased Wisla Can-Pack from the ranks of the unbeaten in Euroleague play, but Wisla survived and improved to 5-0 on Iziane Castro Marques‘ winning bucket with 29 seconds left to play. Wisla forced a miss on the other end to defeat Gospic 77-75. After beating the powers of Group B, Wisla got a surprising test from a Gospic team that entered the game 0-4. Wisla’s perfect record looked secure when the team led70-61 with 4:55 left to play, but Gospic followed with a 14-5 run to tie the game before Castro Marques scored the final points.

It was another brilliant effort for Janell Burse, who has firmly established herself as one of the Euroleague’s top posts. She scored a game-high 31 points, making 12 of her 16 shot attempts from the field and 7-of-10 at the free throw line. Burse added 15 boards, good for her fifth double-double in as many games, and four blocked shots. She remains the Euroleague’s leading rebounder at 13.0 a night.

Just two other Euroleague teams remain undefeated. Rivas Ecopolis is 4-0, and Spartak Moscow Region, which has yet to make up a game that was postponed, is 3-0. Both teams will play tomorrow. Midway through play in Group B, Wisla will have a one-game lead over the winner of tomorrow’s matchup between Halcon Avenida Salamanca and Beretta Familia Schio.

On Monday in Israel, Maccabi Ashdod won its fourth straight game to improve to 4-2, good for second place in D-I. The Storm’s Ashley Walker led the way to the 91-85 victory over Elizur Maccabi Natanya with 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting. She grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists.

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It’s Official: Jackson Returning to WNBL

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Within the last week, speculation grew that Storm center Lauren Jackson would not join Spartak Moscow Region this year in the wake of the death of team owner Shabtai von Kalmanovic and instead play in her native Australia this offseason. Those rumors were confirmed Wednesday morning down under, with the WNBL announcing that Jackson has signed with the TransACT Canberra Capitals squad for which she starred from 1999-00 through 2005-06.

“I didn’t think this would happen for a while anyway, [to] come back to play in the WNBL in Canberra,” Jackson told ABC Sport Grandstand. “I’m really relieved and happy that I get to be back in Canberra with the Caps. My family is not too far away and it’s very refreshing being back home.”

Jackson, who is currently rehabbing at the Australian Institute of Sport, is near being cleared to play after sitting out three months following the diagnosis of stress fractures in her lower back late in the Storm’s regular season. She anticipates being able to join the Capitals on the court early next month, possibly on Dec. 5 at Bendigo.

Canberra has 12 games left in the 22-game regular season, with two of them to be played this week. Because WNBL rules prohibit teams from adding players after the midpoint of the season, Jackson had to be signed before tonight’s game. The schedule runs through Feb. 12. At 6-4, the Capitals are currently fifth in the 10-team WNBL.

Jackson will miss Sunday’s game against Sydney, but will square off with Storm teammate and close friend Suzy Batkovic-Brown in January.

Here’s a link to Jackson’s audio interview with Grandstand.

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Wisla Wins Battle of Unbeatens

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Round four of Euroleague play saw the top two teams in Group B square off in Krakow, as Wisla Can-Pack hosted Beretta-Familia. Only one of the two could emerge from the clash undefeated, and Wisla earned the honor with an 83-72 victory. At 4-0, Wisla is all alone atop Group B. Double-doubles have become routine for Janell Burse, who posted 16 points and 12 boards and remains Euroleague’s leading rebounder. Wisla also got 17 points and 13 assists from former L.A. Sparks guard Marta Fernandez.

With an eye toward Euroleague, Wisla coach Jose Ignacio Hernandez rested his starters in yesterday’s PLKK league win over MUKS Poznan. Burse played just over 10 minutes, scoring seven points and grabbing five boards. The second string proved plenty capable in a 92-58 victory.

Over in EuroCup, Camille Little and Tanisha Wright led K.V. Imperial AEL to its second victory in as many games, surviving 68-65 at Samsun. A 6-0 run got the hosts within one in the final 30 seconds, but Little scored with 13 ticks left on the clock and a steal secured the victory. Little had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Wright scored 10 points, handed out five assists and grabbed five rebounds.

It was a great weekend in the WNBL for the Sydney Uni Acuvue Flames, who swept a pair of matchups to move into a tie for third place in the league at 7-3. Friday saw Suzy Batkovic-Brown put up 27 points and 16 rebounds, leading the Flames to a comfortable 77-62 home victory over Adelaide. On Sunday, Sydney held on to win at Bendigo 70-69. Deanna Smith’s shot put the Flames ahead with just over a minute left on the clock, and Sydney hit its free throws to finish the win. Batkovic-Brown had 14 points and 12 rebounds, contributing on a night where her shot deserted her (5-of-17 from the field). The Flames have now won their last five games since starting below .500.

On Saturday, Swin Cash led Guangdong Asia Aluminum to its fourth straight WCBA win by an 84-70 final over
Yunnan Qu Jing Li. Cash had 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. The WCBA now breaks until mid-December, with Guangdong currently second in the league at 4-1.

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Sports Guy Gets Storm Jersey

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Last night, Bill Simmons – better known as ESPN’s Sports Guy – held a signing for his newly released The Book of Basketball at Seattle’s Sport Restaurant. Doppler was on the scene to present Simmons with his own personalized Storm jersey. While Simmons has never been known as a big WNBA fan, who knows? This might be the first step to converting him into a Storm supporter.

Doppler presents Simmons with the jersey. (Storm Photos)

Doppler hands the jersey over. (Storm Photos)

A photo for Doppler's scrapbook. (Storm Photos)

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Imperial Kicks Off EuroCup With a Win

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Last week marked the start of EuroCup, Europe’s second level of international competition that features no fewer than 42 teams from around the continent. The Storm is represented in EuroCup by Camille Little and Tanisha Wright, both of whom are playing in Cyprus for K.V. Imperial AEL. Last Thursday, Imperial got the EuroCup off to a strong start by defeating visiting Municipal Targoviste 88-75. Little posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Wright led the team with 19 points in addition to chipping in five rebounds and four assists.

Thanks to the incomparable Paul Swanson of the Minnesota Lynx for sending along links to the WCBA Web site, allowing us to follow Swin Cash’s season in China in more detail. Earlier today (last night Seattle time), Guangdong Asia Aluminum defeated Zhejiang Chouzhou Bank 91-69. Cash had 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 28 minutes. At 3-1, Guangdong is in third place in the WCBA, having won its last three games after losing the opener.

“Another good performance by my team!” Cash tweeted after the game. “We keep getting better!”

The Sydney Uni Acuvue Flames came up with their biggest win of the season on Sunday, knocking off undefeated Bulleen 79-65 on the road. The Flames did it despite foul trouble that limited Suzy Batkovic-Brown to 15 minutes. While she was in, Batkovic-Brown contributed 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting and three blocks, while Sydney Uni managed to limit the home team to 30.8 percent shooting. Here’s a photo gallery of the game, which saw Batkovic-Brown square off with Aussie teenage sensation Liz Cambage.

In Poland, Janell Burse earned PLKK MVP honors for Week 10 with a 24-point, 13-rebound outing in 30 minutes of action. Burse shot 7-of-11 from the field and 10-of-12 from the free throw line to lead Wisla Can-Pack Krakow to an 85-64 win over Torun Energa. It’s Burse’s second time being honored as weekly league MVP.

Maccabi Hashdod got off to a phenomenal start Monday, leading host Maccabi Ramat Hen 27-10 after one quarter en route to an 89-56 blowout victory. Ashley Walker had 17 points and five rebounds in the win, while teammate Courtney Paris contributed 20 points and 11 boards.

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KISS Joins Storm Army

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Legendary band KISS was at KeyArena on Sunday as part of their ongoing “Alive/35″ tour. Before the show, members (from left) Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, Eric Singer and Paul Stanley were presented with Storm jerseys by KeyArena’s Stevi Boskovich and Edie Burke.

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Wisla Stays Unbeaten in Euroleague

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

Consider Wisla Can-Pack the early surprise of Euroleague play. Granted a spot in Group B only when CSKA Moscow was forced to suspend operations days before the start of the season, Janell Burse’s squad has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Today’s 77-71 road win over ESB Lille Metropole moved Wisla to 3-0 in Euroleague play. Ros Casares Valencia is the only other 3-0 team, though three other squads have a chance to match that record by winning tomorrow and Spartak Moscow Region is 2-0 because last week’s game was postponed.

After trailing early, Wisla wrested control of the game in the second quarter and held a Lille comeback attempt at bay with timely scores. Burse was a key player, putting up 15 points and 10 boards for her third straight Euroleague double-double. (She remains the leading rebounder in Euroleague play.) Burse got plenty of help from Polish post Ewelina Kobryn, who also had a double-double while scoring a game-high 24 points.

Over the weekend, Wisla defeated LKS Siemens AGD 78-67 in Polish PLKK play, getting 11 points and six rebounds from Burse in just 18 minutes of action.

Down under, Suzy Batkovic-Brown led the Sydney Uni Acuvue Flames to a 90-51 defeat of an overmatched Dandenong squad. Batkovic-Brown scored 31 points at a point-a-minute pace, shooting 11-of-23 from the field and ripping down 13 rebounds. Through six weeks, Batkovic-Brown is tied for high-scoring honors in the WNBL (PDF) with L.A.’s Kristi Harrower at 25.0 points per game. She’s third in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and blocked shots (2.2 bpg) while also ranking in the top 10 with 1.7 spg.

Maccabi Ashdod earned its first easy victory of the Israeli DI season, defeating Elizur Holon 83-51 to even its record at 2-2. Ashley Walker had 13 points and six boards in the win, which marked the debut of new Ashdod point guard Temeka Johnson. The leader of the WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury replaces injured Natasha Lacy as Ashdod’s third import and starter at the point.

Swin Cash checked in via Twitter to report that her Guangdong Asia Aluminum team won 88-80 on Sunday in WCBA play. Cash contributed 23 points and 14 rebounds and picked up an extraordinarily rare technical foul dealing with physical play.

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Lynx Win Lottery

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

The Minnesota Lynx were the big winners today as the WNBA held its 2010 Draft Lottery. Because of a three-way trade that netted Minnesota New York’s first-round pick, the Lynx entered the day with the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick, despite the fact that Sacramento had a worse record last season. Indeed, it was the Liberty’s combination that came up for the top overall pick. Minnesota will also pick fourth, adding two top prospects to a core of young talent that includes 2009 All-Stars Nicky Anosike and Charde Houston, 2006 No. 1 overall pick Seimone Augustus and last year’s first-round pick, Renee Montgomery.

The consensus top two seniors who will be available to the Lynx next April are both posts – Stanford’s Jayne Appel and Tina Charles from Connecticut. The Monarchs, who earned the second pick, will likely select the other top player, though Minnesota Executive Vice President Roger Griffith was unwilling to rule out another candidate for the top spot emerging.

“Those are the two big names,” he told reporters in a conference call, “but there’s a long college season ahead and other names will arise. We aren’t going to look at two people, we will look at a lot of people for that spot.”

Connecticut rounded out the selections assigned by the lottery, claiming the No. 3 pick. Minnesota will select fourth and Chicago fifth.

The Storm holds the 11th overall pick and will also pick 24th in the second round and 37th in the third round.

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