Still in search of a complete game
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On my flight Sunday morning from Chicago to San Antonio to see our Sunday afternoon matchup with the Silver Stars, I was reflecting on our season. I was thinking of how many games we had played so well in stretches — where our team played together and looked determined and strong. And I thought that it was a rare thing for us to do it for a full 40 minutes. I thought, not for the first time this season, that if we could just put together a complete game, we could reverse our fortunes. As we lost to San Antonio, 83-73, we are still in search of that complete game.
In past games, we played well for three quarters, but let our guard down for one. We have played great defense, but couldn’t get our offense going. We shot the ball well, but couldn’t get a defensive stop. We have played all kinds of games this season except a complete one. I am not looking for a perfect game (though I’ll take it), just a complete one. Against San Antonio, as with so many of our games this season, we did a lot of things well. We finally beat someone on the boards, outrebounding San Antonio 32-23 and doubling their total on the offensive glass. We had 20 assists on our 25 baskets, showing our team play. We only missed one of our 21 free throws. Tina Thompson led our scoring with 23 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones had 15. We held Chamique Holdsclaw to eight points and Michelle Snow to just two. But we did not win because we did not compete throughout the game.
In the first quarter, DeLisha was scoreless, and we had eight turnovers that led to seven points for San Antonio. And Roneeka Hodges showed us that she was ready for the game — she scored eight points in the quarter on three-for-three shooting, including two behind the arc. That was a sign of what was to come. San Antonio couldn’t miss, shooting over 61% from the field, and we couldn’t buy a bucket, with a woeful 28% shooting percentage.
Once those 10 minutes were over, though, we dominated the second quarter, holding the Silver Stars to just 15 points (after their 22-point first quarter) and reversed almost all the stat lines. We had half as many turnovers in the second quarter as the first, and DeLisha opened up for 11 points. Four of San Antonio’s starters scored five points combined and their fifth starter, Roneeka Hodges (again), lit up the scoreboard for the Silver Stars, matching the other four’s productivity. The Sparks played with intensity and purpose, cutting the nine-point deficit from the first quarter to just three points going into halftime. If we could build on that momentum, we could push ahead in the third and bring the win home in the fourth.
The third quarter suddenly looked like the first quarter again. Tina Thompson went scoreless, and although DeLisha was perfect from the field, she attempted only two shots. We had no offensive rebounds and turned over the ball five times, while the Silver Stars had no turnovers. Our shooting percentage wasn’t bad (45.5%), but we let Hodges light us up again for another 11 points, shooting four for seven and scoring three more three-pointers, and setting a season high in scoring for her. I thought we had gotten past our third-quarter slump from earlier in the season, but here it was again. We let San Antonio go on an 11-2 run over four minutes of the quarter, and they pushed their lead up to 17 by the end of the quarter.
The game looked completely out of hand going into the fourth, but then suddenly, the second-quarter Sparks showed up again. Tina Thompson, who had six points up to that point in the game, went on a scoring tear, shooting back-to-back three-pointers to open the quarter. We were pushing the tempo and went on a 14-2 run, cutting the 17-point lead to five in 4 1/2 minutes. If we could just get a couple of stops, it looked like we could pull out the win. We hustled after loose balls, hit the glass hard and our outside shots were falling. With two minutes left in the game, we hadn’t been able to get closer than five, but we hadn’t let San Antonio pull away either. Then the second- and fourth-quarter Sparks disappeared and that other team made its reappearance, as Becky Hammon hit a big three-pointer, pushing the lead to eight, and Tina was charged with a clear path foul on Chamique Holdsclaw, giving her two free throws and the Silver Stars possession of the ball. Holdsclaw made those shots and San Antonio scored on free throws on the next possession. With 1:37 left in the game, the Sparks were suddenly down by 12, and there was just too much ground to make up to get the win.
One complete game — with all our players playing with the intensity of the second and fourth quarters of this game — and we have a win. Maybe Tuesday at noon, we will see our complete game.
-- Kathy Goodman