CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Sting expected a rough start to the season. But this bad?
The Sting, who have struggled all year, suffered the worst loss in franchise history Thursday, 90-57 to the Phoenix Mercury.
The loss dropped Charlotte, which made it to the Eastern Conference finals last year, to 2-9 and winless in all five of its home games.
"We're playing hard, it just seems to be one of those seasons," said Andrea Stinson, who led Charlotte with 20 points.
"We have new players, a new coach and have had a lot of injuries that have hurt us," she said. "I'm not trying to use all that as an excuse, but we haven't been able to overcome any of it."
The Sting were outrebounded 40-25, had 17 turnovers and gave up 14 steals. Charlotte also shot just 1-for-10 from 3-point range.
The Sting's previous worst defeat was 81-49 at Cleveland in 1997.
Brandy Reed tied her career high with 32 points for Phoenix. She also had 13 rebounds, seven steals and six assists, all team highs.
She had just eight points at halftime, but scored 12 in a game-breaking 21-4 second-half run. It was just the sort of game she'd been looking for after struggling to fit in with Phoenix (7-3) all season.
Reed played for Phoenix in 1998, but spent last season with Minnesota after the Lynx picked her in the expansion draft. Minnesota traded her back to the Mercury in February and Reed has spent the first two months of the season trying to fit in.
"I think for a while I was focusing too much in offense and scoring," Reed said. "I guess my thinking was that offense was all I could offer to the team. But then I started to assert myself in other ways on the court and my game really started coming around."
Charlotte, which trailed 39-33 at the break, scored eight quick points in the second half to close to 42-41. But Reed and Tonya Edwards combined for 17 points in the 21-4 run that gave Phoenix control of the game. Reed scored on two layups, then Edwards converted Charlotte turnovers into three straight fast-break layups.
Reed closed the run with two layups and four free throws to give the Mercury a 63-45 lead with 9:30 to play.
"We have to learn how to step it up when teams make runs on us," said Charlotte forward Shalonda Enis, acquired in an offseason trade, but has played only two games because of injuries.
"Today was extremely disappointing because felt we could beat this team. It's important for us to keep our heads up and not fall apart."
Edwards scored 19 points for Phoenix. Jennifer Gillom added 11 and Michelle Griffiths 10.
MIRACLE 77, ROCKERS 64: At Orlando, Fla., the Orlando Miracle knew they were much better than Saturday's 25-point loss to Indiana, one of four expansion teams.
Guard Shannon Johnson even mentioned it to coach Carolyn Peck before Thursday night's game against Cleveland.
Then the Miracle proved it on the court, beating the Eastern Conference-leading Rockers 77-64 behind strong performances from Nykesha Sales and Taj McWilliams.
McWilliams had 22 points and 11 rebounds — her first double-double of the season — to lead four Orlando players in double figures. Sales scored 18 points, including 16 in the first half.
Adrienne Johnson added 14 points and Cintia Dos Santos 10 as the Miracle shot 57 percent from the floor.
"Coach came in and had us really pumped up," McWilliams said. "Actually, from this morning, we started something new. We wanted to focus in from the shootaround. We had our goals on the board already. Everybody was tuned in to what we needed to do.
"It's a beautiful thing to see what we can do when we execute like that."
Leading 37-30 at halftime, the Miracle (6-5) went on a 16-4 run to put away the Rockers (6-4). McWilliams had 10 points during that stretch, including two three-point plays, to take a 53-34 lead.
"She was a monster," Johnson said of McWilliams. "She's a treat to play with. She worked very hard on both ends."
Added Peck: "Taj definitely flexed her muscles inside and played well. Taj played like an All-Star. She's demonstrated that she's one of the best centers in the league."
Sales helped Orlando take charge midway through the first half. She and Elaine Powell hit 3-pointers in an 8-0 run to give the Miracle a 29-17 lead.
"I think they controlled the tempo of the game," Rockers coach Dan Hughes said. "We never got into a point where the tempo was to Cleveland's liking."