Sports > Sun Sweep Shock With 75-67 Victory

Lindsay Whalen Scores 27 Points As Connecticut Sun Sweep Detroit Shock With 75-67 Victory

Detroit Shocks' Phenette Pierson, loses control of the ball as Connecticut Suns' Nykesha Sales defends in first half action of their first round playoff game at Mohegan Sun Arena, in Uncasville, Conn., Friday, Sept. 2, 2005. (AP Photo/John Spivey)

The Sun, who advance from the first-round Eastern Conference success to play Indiana on Thursday, beat the best rebounding team in the league at its own game. The Sun finished off the two-game sweep by outrebounding the Shock 47-42 with a physical post game.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Sun.

Deanna Nolan scored 23 points for the Shock. Detroit's leading rebounders, Cheryl Ford and Ruth Riley fouled out in the closing minutes. Ford finished with 13 points. Riley had 10 to go with eight rebounds.

Connecticut never trailed and enjoyed a double-digit advantage for most of the second half. But Nolan scored 12 her points in the final four minutes to help the Shock cut the lead to three with 2:19 left. That's when the Sun's post players came up big.

Margo Dydek, Connecticut's 7-foot-2 center blocked Kara Braxton's shot and started a fastbreak. McWilliams-Franklin finished off the breakaway with a fadeway jumper with 22 seconds left for a 72-67 lead.

All Detroit could do thereafter was foul. But McWilliams-Franklin, who received the WNBA Kim Perrot Sportsmanship award before the game, iced it for Connecticut by going 4-of-4 from the line.

Whalen was 15-of-17 from the line and finished with seven assists. Dydek had three of the Sun's five blocked shots.

Sales had seven of Connecticut's 20 first-half boards that led to several transition baskets. Whalen scored Connecticut's first eight points to get the Sun out to a fast start.

The Sun led by as many as 12 points in the first half. Detroit got within five with 4:40 remaining when Katie Smith's 3-pointer capped a 6-0 run. But Connecticut countered an 8-0 run and led 42-31 at the break.

2005-09-03