StingRays Forced to Do It Hard Way Against Xplosion

Presented with an opportunity to finish the ABL’s best-of-three first-round Western Conference playoff in less than 26 hours, the Long Beach StingRays instead traveled another path against the Colorado Xplosion on Sunday.

The result: an 88-68 Xplosion victorythat created a 1-1 tie and a deciding Game 3 in this series Wednesday night at the Pyramid.

During what was called the greatest game of the Xplosion’s Tari Phillips’ pro career (24 points and 12 rebounds), Long Beach succeeded also in making her fighting mad.

It resulted from an exchange of elbows in the first quarter that put a knot on Venus Lacy’s forehead, followed by a near-free-for-all in a hallway as both teams headed to their locker rooms.

Phillips, a 6-foot-3 power forward from Georgia and Central Floria University and an ABL all-star, finished fourth among ABL rebounders.

Venus Lacy, 31, a 6-4 forward from Louisiana Tech, the European leagues and the ’96 Olympic team, was ranked 12th in rebounding.

Early in the game, both were complaining to officials about elbow shots. Then both unloaded on each other under the Colorado basket late in the first quarter, with teammates having to separate them.

Then, they went at it again at halftime.

Walking down a narrow McNichols Arena hallway in opposite directions to their locker rooms, they brushed shoulders and went at it again. And again, teammates pulled them apart.

Phillips won on all fronts. She made 9 for 11 shots and largely because of her, Colorado dominated Long Beach on the boards, 40-30.

This, by a team that finished next-to-last in rebounding. Long Beach led the league. And it all happened the day after Long Beach’s easy 96-72 victory in the opener Saturday in Anaheim.

Long Beach Coach Maura McHugh was furious.

“Phillips played a great game,” she said.

“We knew how to stop her, just block her out. We didn’t, obviously. She just wanted it more than we did. We got our tails kicked in every way. We came out flat, and this is not the kind of game you come out flat in.

“The 24-hour turnaround is no excuse . . . they had to be just as tired as we were. Maybe we just liked the idea of a third game.”

It didn’t figure. The Xplosion, in the regular season, was 2-7 in the second game of back-to-back games. Long Beach was 5-4.

The reason for the turnaround, according to Xplosion Coach Sheryl Estes, was Phillips.

“Tari has played spurts like that, never a whole game,” she said.

“This was the most physical, the most intense I’ve ever seen her.”

Colorado’s 6-1 Vicki Hall scored three three-pointers in the first quarter and finished with four in scoring 20 points.

Long Beach trailed almost all the way but remained within striking distance until late in the third period, when Phillips scored twice underneath and Hall made an 18-footer to give Colorado a 57-48 lead.

And when Edna Campbell made a falling-down six-footer with seven minutes to go, it became 67-54 and the announced crowd of 3,899 was in the game.

Colorado guard Debbie Black, looking at the box score, sounded recharged.

“Look at this--Yolanda [Griffith] only had eight boards, and only two offensive rebounds. If we do that in Long Beach Wednesday, we can win this thing.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

ABL PLAYOFFS

First Round

StingRays vs. Colorado

* Game 1: StingRays 96, Colorado 72

* Game 2: Colorado 88, StingRays 68

* Wednesday--At Pyramid, 7:30 p.m.

San Jose vs. New England

* Game 1: San Jose 80, New England 78

* Game 2: San Jose 83, New England 71

(San Jose wins series, 2-0)

*

Semi Finals

(Best of three)

* San Jose vs. Columbus, dates, site and times TBA

* Long Beach/Colorado winner vs. Portland, dates, site and times TBA