Starzz, Fever Open With Surprises

The Utah Starzz, who led the Houston Comets by as many as 17 points early in the second half, hung on for a 66-59 victory Friday at Salt Lake City in the opener of the best-of-three Western Conference semifinal series.

The Comets pulled within 61-59 on two free throws by Sheryl Swoopes with just under three minutes remaining and had a couple of chances to tie, but Swoopes committed a turnover and rookie Michelle Snow missed a layup.

Free throws by Utah’s Jennifer Azzi, Marie Ferdinand and Adrienne Goodson, who had a game-high 20 points, helped the franchise secure its first playoff victory before a crowd of 6,693.

Swoopes led Houston with 17 points but made only five of 19 shots, and the Comets missed 17 consecutive shots in one stretch.

Indiana 73, New York 55--After receiving her award as WNBA rookie of the year, Tamika Catchings scored 29 points to lead the Fever in the opener of the best-of-three Eastern Conference semifinal series at Indianapolis.

It was Indiana’s first playoff game in the three-year history of the franchise.

The 10,198 fans at Indianapolis chanted “M-V-P, M-V-P” in the second half as Catchings finished with 11 rebounds, her 13th double-double, four assists and three steals. She made 11 of 19 shots, including four of eight three-point attempts.

The Fever outshot the top-seeded Liberty (50.9% to 41.5%) and outrebounded them (35-24).