StingRays Turn It Around to Win

The StingRays shook off the turnover bug that had cost them a two-game losing streak, dominated the Seattle Reign in the middle of the game, then held off a late surge of deadeye Seattle free-throw shooting to win, 96-91, Tuesday night at Long Beach.

The victory was nearly a complete turnaround from the 85-61 loss at Seattle last Friday, when Long Beach turned the ball over 25 times, then 23 more times in Sunday’s loss to Columbus.

Tuesday’s turnover number was much more to Coach Maura McHugh’s liking: 14. So was her team’s shooting percentage: .487.

Not so the attendance number. It was announced as 1,343, a number that must have included Pyramid staffers, players, media and officials. It appeared to be a three-digit crowd.

The Long Beach pacesetters were two 30-year-olds, Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, who had 22 points, and Venus Lacy, who had three consecutive baskets in the third quarter, when Seattle’s late-game rally first began percolating.

Davis-Wrightsil, with a drive and a three-pointer within 30 seconds early in the final quarter, seemed to insure a Long Beach rout. The two buckets gave the StingRays leads of 78-59 and 81-63. But Long Beach, possibly tiring in the stretch, began an ill-advised strategy--fouling the Reign players. Seattle shoots nearly 80% from the line as a team and the Reign were 28 for 29 Tuesday night, much of that late in the game.

And it included 12 for 12 from the line by rookie Shalonda Enis (24 points) and seven for eight by Kate Starbird (15 points).

Seattle cut it to 93-88 with 36 seconds left, but its only other score was a three-pointer by Kate Paye with two seconds left.

Long Beach’s Yolanda Griffith was held to season-low points for the second straight game. She had eight after scoring nine against Columbus on Sunday. She also had 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

Seattle Coach Jackie Hullah praised Long Beach’s revved-up offense, which got the ball off 14 steals. “They played very good team basketball and we seemed a step behind them for most of the game,” she said.

Davis-Wrightsil said she found her shooting stroke after halftime, after going two for nine in the first half. The 6-1 forward was effective inside and out, with four three-point shots in a nine-for-21 night.

“I felt I had my shooting rhythm for the first time tonight,” she said.

McHugh said the late-game excitement was caused by too much caution. “We were trying to protect that lead instead of finishing the game,” she said.

Long Beach couldn’t match Seattle free throw shooting, missing four in the final 47 seconds and finishing with 13 for 20.

ABL Notes

In another ABL game, San Jose’s Charlotte Smith and Sheri Sam scored 19 points apiece to lead the Lasers past Columbus, 77-52, before 2,528 at San Jose.