WNBA Storm breaks Rockers' streak

Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird sparked Seattle's 71-59 win over Cleveland.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND -- Lauren Jackson scored 16 points, and Sue Bird had 11 points and 12 assists as the Seattle Storm beat the Cleveland Rockers 71-59 Friday night.
Jackson, the WNBA's leading scorer at 19.4 points a game, was held scoreless in the second half, but it didn't matter.
Bird picked up the slack for the Storm (7-5) with nine points after halftime, and the Rockers (5-6) never got untracked because of turnovers.
Cleveland finished with 17 turnovers, 11 in the first half to fall behind 39-29.
Seattle never trailed while snapping Cleveland's four-game home winning streak.
Chasity Melvin had 15 points, Penny Taylor scored 13 and Betty Lennox 10 for the Rockers.
Seattle's Alisa Burras had 10 points off the bench against her former team.
The Rockers got as close as 26-20 on Betty Lennox's 14-foot jumper with 7:37 left in the first half. The Storm countered with an 11-2 run to seize control.
Lynx 67, Mercury 59
MINNEAPOLIS -- Katie Smith made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points as Minnesota beat Phoenix.
Michele Van Gorp added 12 points for the Lynx (6-6), who won their second straight despite committing a team-record 26 turnovers.
Tamicha Jackson scored 18 points as the Mercury (2-11) lost their fourth in a row and remained winless on the road at 0-6.
Anna DeForge added 15 points for the Mercury, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:08.
The Lynx hit four 3-pointers and shot 63 percent in the first half.
Shock 75, Liberty 69
NEW YORK -- Deanna Nolan scored 20 points to lead the Detroit Shock to their eighth straight victory, over the New York Liberty.
Swin Cash added 17 points and Cheryl Ford had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Shock, who lead the Eastern Conference at 8-1 and are unbeaten since losing to Charlotte to open the season May 31. The Shock beat the Liberty for the second time in a week after winning 88-83 last Friday.
Elena Baranova set season highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the New York. Tari Phillips added 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 57 seconds left.
Season-ending injury
New York guard Becky Hammon will miss the rest of the season after tearing a ligament in her right knee during the first half of the Liberty's loss to the Shock.
Hammon, who leads the Liberty with 16.2 points per game, tore the anterior cruciate ligament during a fast break just 12 seconds after she entered the game. She was taken to Beth Israel Medical Center for an MRI exam, which revealed the injury.
"This is an incredibly bad break for a person who is having an all-star year and who worked so hard in the off-season to become one of the team's best players," New York coach Richie Adubato said. "I know she'll persevere and rehab the knee and come back stronger and better."
Hammon entered with 14:55 left in the first half, and quickly grabbed a rebound and started up-court on a fast break. She stopped and planted her right foot at the Liberty's 3-point line, winced in pain and fell to the floor clutching her right knee. She was helped off the court by Tamika Whitmore and a trainer.
"I just prayed it's not an ACL or anything like that," forward Vickie Johnson said before hearing the results of the MRI.
Hammon is New York's most explosive player even though she is not in the starting lineup. She was injured near the same basket where New York Knicks forward Antonio McDyess suffered a season-ending knee injury last season.
Johnson was on the court when former New York forward Rebecca Lobo tore her ACL in 1999. While Lobo has struggled since the knee injury, several WNBA players -- including Tamika Catchings of Indiana and Sheryl Swoopes of Houston -- have come back from it.