Rockers 84, Sun 56

Rockers 84, Sun 56
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Penny Taylor and Deanna Jackson each scored 18 points to lead the Cleveland Rockers to an 84-56 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday night.
The Rockers, who entered the game second in the WNBA in scoring defense, held two of the league's top five scorers to a total of 23 points on 6-for-21 shooting.
Adrienne Johnson scored 12 points to lead the Sun (4-3), but Shannon Johnson, who came in as the league's top scorer at 20 points a game, had just seven on 2-for-7 shooting.
Nykesha Sales, fifth in the league with an 18.7 average, scored 11 on 4-for-14 shooting for the Sun. Connecticut shot just 30 percent, 17-for-56, overall.
Taylor scored 12 points in the second half, and Betty Lennox tallied nine of her 16 after the break for the Rockers (4-2). Cleveland rolled to its highest point total of the season.
Cleveland's defense also took the Sun out of its normally strong floor game. Connecticut came in leading the league in assist to turnover ratio. The Sun managed only 11 assists compared with 15 turnovers.
Jackson hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in reserve in the first half to spark the Rockers to a 45-30 lead at halftime.
Taylor converted a three-point play to give Cleveland a 19-18 lead and quickly followed with a 3-pointer to make it 22-18. That sent the Rockers on a 29-12 run to close the half.
Cleveland scored the first six points of the second half on two free throws by Helen Darling and consecutive drives to the basket by Taylor and Luciene Berthieu.
Jackson and Lennox combined for 34 points in reserve as Cleveland's bench outscored the Sun reserves 38-22.