WNBA ROUNDUP | Sunday's games

Shock 77, Silver Stars 67
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Cheryl Ford and Deanna Nolan weren't feeling 100 percent, but their stat lines were healthy enough for the Detroit Shock. Ford had 20 points and 17 rebounds despite a nagging injury, while Nolan battled a severe thigh bruise and scored 16 points. "Cheryl didn't practice and came out tonight and gave us a great performance," Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said. "Deanna came back and played well in the second half, so it was a good win for us." Katie Smith scored 15 points and Swin Cash added 13 for the Shock (14-6), who have won 10 of their last 12 games. But their contributions wouldn't have been enough without the work of Ford and Nolan, who teamed for 23 points in the first half. "We knew our task at hand," Ford said. "Coach told us he needs rebounds right now, to get a stop and a rebound." "That's our strength," Laimbeer said. "We're the biggest, strongest team in the league. So when we don't get offensive rebounds, we're going to struggle." Agnieszka Bibrzycka had 14 points to pace the Silver Stars (10-11). Katie Feensta had 13 points off the bench before fouling out with 4:14 left. Shannon Johnson added 11 points and Chantelle Anderson 10. Detroit had a 51-32 rebounding edge and rallied from a 57-55 deficit with a 14-2 run early in the fourth quarter, including a pair of baskets from Cash and Smith's third 3-pointer. Nolan had eight quick points as the Shock built a 16-4 advantage. But San Antonio rallied with 13 straight for a one-point lead late in the first quarter. Detroit led 44-40 at halftime behind 13 points from Ford and 10 from Nolan.
Fever 60, Comets 56
INDIANAPOLIS -- Tamika Whitmore scored 22 points to help Indiana beat Houston. Whitmore rebounded from a poor game the night before, making 10 of her 16 shots. Tamika Catchings had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Eboni Hoffman added 11 points for the Fever (14-8). Sheryl Swoopes led Houston with 15 points and Tamecka Dixon added 14. Mistie Williams finished with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. The Fever outscored the Comets 22-14 in the fourth quarter. Houston (13-10) has lost four of its last five games and entered the game short-handed. Top scorer Tina Thompson missed her third straight game with a strained right calf. Dominique Canty, who scored 24 points for Houston the last time the teams played, sat out with a broken finger. Dixon drained a short jumper as time expired in the first quarter, but Indiana still led 19-16. Houston's stars got off to a rough start. All-star center Michelle Snow picked up three fouls in the first half and Swoopes didn't score until she made a short jumper with 2:02 left in the first half. She followed that with a 3-pointer that cut Indiana's halftime lead to 27-25. Both teams shot 37 percent before the break. Dixon scored on a 3-point play with 1:25 left in the third quarter to give Houston a 40-38 lead. Snow followed with a putback basket to give the Comets a 42-38 lead at the end of the period.
Sparks 90, Lynx 78
MINNEAPOLIS -- Lisa Leslie scored 29 points and Chamique Holdsclaw added 20 to lead Los Angeles. Leslie also had 14 rebounds for the Sparks (18-5), who had a 12-2 offensive-rebounding advantage in the second half. Los Angeles turned 18 Lynx turnovers into 26 points. Seimone Augustus, who led the West with 16 points in the All-Star Game, scored 25 in Minnesota's first game since the break. Amber Jacobs added 13 points and Svetlana Abrosimova had 10 for the Lynx (7-13). Leslie and Holdsclaw combined for 12 points at the start of the fourth, during a 12-4 run that gave Los Angeles its biggest lead of the game 80-66. The Lynx could not get closer than six points the rest of the way. The Sparks led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but Minnesota got back in the game behind Augustus and reserves Abrosimova and Shona Thorburn. Thorburn assisted on two Abrosimova fastbreak layups during an 8-2 run that brought the Lynx within 61-59 with 1:46 left. Holdsclaw hit a tough shot to send the Sparks into the final quarter with a 68-62 lead. Los Angeles was ahead 25-23 after one quarter and extended its lead to 29-24 as the Lynx missed their first seven field goal attempts in the second.
Associated Press
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