Starzz 66, Storm 63
The Utah Starzz were starting to run out of stars Tuesday night in the Delta Center.
With Jennifer Azzi (broken hand) and Natalie Williams (lower-back spasms) in street clothes, the Starzz became more shorthanded when LaTonya Johnson and Margo Dydek went down with ankle injuries midway through the second half.
"Those eight played well," said Starzz coach Fred Williams, whose battered club won for a team-record fourth straight game, 66-63 over expansion Seattle as Dydek steamed back from the injury five minutes later to help halt a 7-2 Seattle run.
Dydek finished with a season-best 17 points while Adrienne Goodson ignored a bloody lip and a trip to her own personal woodshed to score 23. Dalma Ivanyi hid a bruise or two and played her best down the stretch as Utah saved its third straight three-point win, thanks to another missed 3-point attempt by Seattle.
In Seattle on Sunday, Edna Campbell's desperation three off the backboard just missed, and on Tuesday, Kamila Vodichkova's 20-footer was an airball with less than five seconds left.
The injuries have "put a lot of pressure on us," said Fred Williams. "We've gotten some good victories with two of our leaders on the sidelines."
It was Utah's second straight win without leading scorer/rebounder Natalie Williams, improving Fred Williams' record to .500 as he completed his first full season as Starzz head coach after taking over from retiring Frank Layden on June 21, 1999.
It also added to the best start in Starzz history, 7-5, while Seattle dropped to 2-8 and 0-4 against Utah, including two exhibition games.
Johnson didn't return from her left ankle sprain sustained with 10:35 left in the game, 58 seconds before Dydek went down with a twisted right ankle after Vodichkova fell on her leg.
But now things get tougher. Utah is at Minnesota Thursday and returns to host the Houston Comets for the final time of the season on Friday. The playing status of Natalie Williams, Dydek and Johnson is basically day-to-day, and Azzi is 10 days to two weeks off.
"We miss Natalie," said Dydek, "so we need to score some more points from some other players."
Dydek has had back-to-back games of 16 and 17 points, and has played her most aggressive ball of the season while being the focal point of the offense. She added eight rebounds, four blocked shots and two assists Tuesday.
"Our big girl stepped up," said Goodson of the 7-foot-2 Dydek. "I think some of these injuries are a blessing in disguise," Goodson added, noticing a difference in Dydek's game with Williams out. "I don't think she realizes how important she is to this team."
"I'm happy if she's having fun," Ivanyi said.
Dydek had Seattle coach Lin Dunn muttering. "She's really difficult for us to deal with," Dunn said. "She's a real challenge for us. She's really helping (Utah) because she creates so many problems defensively and offensively."
The plump, white-haired Seattle coach remarked in Seattle that she could drive the ball as well as Dydek, but Dydek claimed she wasn't offended. Dydek did storm down the left side of the lane for an emphatic layup with fewer than five minutes left, turned ankle and all.
"In my life, I don't care what people say, especially from other teams or coaches," Dydek said.
Goodson also stepped back into her customary double-figure scoring role after a four-point night in Seattle. She has been in double figures in 37 of her last 38 games. "I had a bad game. What can you say?" Goodson said.
She seized some important rebounds after missing a couple of free throws in
the final few minutes, saying that on a couple, she knew she would miss. "My free-throw shooting has been horrible," she said, whipping herself mentally for that and claiming she's doing penance for laughing at someone who was shooting just 25 percent from the line. "Since that day, I need to repent, as forgiveness," she said.
Ivanyi played a career-high 35 minutes and had no turnovers. Her four points came on free throws in the final two minutes, and she took over guarding Seattle star Edna Campbell late in the game. Campbell finished with 17 but had no points and three fouls in the last 1:16 as the Storm tried to inch closer. Campbell did score at 1:44 and 1:28.
"It doesn't matter who you put on her, she doesn't seem to have a weakness," said Ivanyi, who tried to make Campbell run off as many screens as she could to wear her down. "And then you put your hands together and hope for her having an off night."