Detroit shocks Silver Stars with run-and-gun gameplan

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The San Antonio Silver Stars found out it's not a good idea to run and gun with the Detroit Shock.

Swin Cash scored a career-high 26 points, and the Shock set a WNBA record for the most first-half points en route to a 99-88 victory Tuesday night.

"Normally, 88 points is going to be more than enough to win a game," Silver Stars coach Candi Harvey said of her team's season-high total. "But that was an offensive machine that we just ran into."

The win came in Detroit's first game since Phoenix snapped its eight-game winning streak on Saturday.

"I think this was one of our more important games, because we had to show that we could bounce right back from a loss," Cash said. "San Antonio wanted to run in spurts, but we can run for 40 minutes. That's what teams don't expect."

The Shock's first-half total of 56 broke Los Angeles' record of 55 against Utah last Aug. 4.

"This was our kind of game tonight," said Detroit's Kedra Holland-Corn, who had 14 points. "When we can run, we are a very good ball club and very tough to handle. When it is a halfcourt game, we seem to get bored and lethargic." San Antonio had 47 at the half.

Deanna Nolan added 15 points for Detroit, while Cheryl Ford had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Detroit had six players score in double figures for the third time this season.

"In a running game like this, everyone is going to get a chance to score," Shock coach Bill Laimbeer said. "San Antonio came out with their running shoes on, and we were able to attack them. When we can do that, we are at our best."

Marie Ferdinand had a season-high 26 points for San Antonio, and Adrienne Goodson added a season-best 22.

LIBERTY 90, SUN 64: In New York, Crystal Robinson tied a season-high with 22 points and Tamika Whitmore added 17 points and six rebounds as the New York Liberty dominated the Connecticut Sun, 90-64 Tuesday night.

New York won in its first game since losing leading scorer Becky Hammon to a season-ending ACL injury last Wednesday. Tari Phillips added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Liberty, who shot 62 percent from the field and outrebounded the Sun 35-19.

Nykesha Sales tied a season-high with 26 points for Connecticut, which lost its third straight and fifth of six. Sales set her career high with six 3-pointers. No other Connecticut player reached double digits in scoring.

COMETS 71, LYNX 69: In Houston, Janeth Arcain's fade-away jumper with 2 seconds to play gave the Houston Comets a 71-69 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night.

Sheryl Swoopes' three-point play with 36 seconds left brought Houston into a 69-69 tie. The Comets had the chance at the game-winner after Teresa Edwards missed a 3-pointer on Minnesota's next possession. After a timeout, Arcain took the inbounds pass from Tina Thompson and hit the jumper from just inside the top of the key.

Swoopes, who led the Comets with 19 points, became the sixth WNBA player to score 2,500 points when she made her first of two free throws 7:33 into the second half.