Smith Salvages Shock Win

Katie Smith wasn’t going to let her best chance for a WNBA title slip away that easily.

Smith, scoreless in the first half, pumped in 16 second-half points to lead the Detroit Shock to a 73-63 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Friday in Game 2 of the league finals, tying the best-of-five series at 1-1.

“I haven’t been here before, and who knows if I’ll ever get back, so I’m going to leave everything I’ve got out on the floor,” said Smith, who has scored 4,000 points during her WNBA career but had not played in the finals.

For the better part of three quarters, it looked as if the Monarchs would take a 2-0 lead, but Smith wouldn’t let that happen.

Her three-point shot with two seconds left in the third quarter pulled Detroit, which had trailed by as many as 11 points, to within six at 54-48.

“When Katie made the three-ball, we told them they’ve got 10 minutes to hold their home court and get back in the series,” Shock Coach Bill Laimbeer said.

From the Associated Press