Deep in trouble for much of their game Saturday night against defending Eastern Conference-champion Charlotte, the Utah Starzz perhaps found themselves in the final 6 1/2 minutes in the Delta Center.
They erased an eight-point deficit in five minutes, then pulled away from a 62-62 tie in the final 1:23 to win 69-64. The way they came together would seem to bode well for the future.
After two games of less-than-acceptable defensive effort, both losses, Harvey was able to say after the game, "I do feel like that was the team I coached at the end of last season."
Utah had won 16 of 23 games after Harvey took over from Fred Williams last July — until losing those two games.
"That felt right tonight," Harvey said.
Adrienne Goodson made one of two free throws, and Natalie Williams missed two with :22 left, but newly minted post player LaTonya Johnson — inserted during Williams' free throws for defensive purposes and heretofore a small forward — leaped for the rebound on Williams' second miss and calmly planted two free throws to ensure that the Sting would have to keep fouling.
After a Summer Erb basket
cut Utah's lead to 65-64, Goodson and Marie Ferdinand made free throws for the final difference. Erb's basket was Charlotte's first since a layin at 3:59 by Erin Buescher. The Sting were 1-for-5 after that, Erb's being the only make as Utah's defense really turned on the steam.
"It boils down to the 'effort' word again," added Harvey. "I thought the effort was good all night long. The intensity level the last 10 minutes of the game was incredible."
Utah travels to Seattle for a game tonight at 7 MDT for the first of its seven back-to-back sets of the season. Utah split with the Storm in the preseason, but the defense-minded Storm, which also just defeated Charlotte, are in second place in the West at 3-1.
Utah moved to 3-2 and into a tie with Houston for fourth. Charlotte fell to 2-2.
"We still have a lot of work to do," said Starzz forward Natalie Williams, "but tonight was a huge difference."
Williams continued a tough-shooting stretch at 2-for-10 from the field and the two missed free throws, but she made up for much of that with a layup, two steals leading to four points, three rebounds and two made free throws in the final 4:52. On her last rebound of an Andrea Stinson miss with about 24 seconds left, Williams fell to the floor but was able to call a critical timeout before landing. That put the ball in the Starzz' half of the court and set up her free throws that were missed but rebounded by Johnson.
"I'm trying to make something happen on the defensive end, and tonight I was able to do that," said Williams.
"Our defense picked up a lot," said point guard Jennifer Azzi, "and that translated to better, more aggressive offense." Utah went from shooting 29.6 percent the first half to a final figure of 37.7 percent. Utah also committed a season-low 10 turnovers.
Azzi's defense was so strong she never left the game. She held the Sting's leading scorer, Dawn Staley, to just five points and 2-for-6 shooting. Staley had averaged 14.3.
"Jennifer is playing fantastic basketball, extremely well on both ends of the floor," said Harvey.
Azzi put it into overdrive after getting steamed about an offensive foul she thought was undeserved as she tried for a layin that was taken away three minutes into the second half. "It definitely did make me mad. Maybe I should get an offensive foul early in the game," she said. She scored eight in the seven minutes following the foul, got a rebound and fed LaNeisha Caufield for a 3-pointer at 14:50. Her own three tied the game at 37 at 13:40.
Charlotte still functioning despite the Hornets' move to New Orleans. Eastern Conference champion last year after starting 1-10. Beat the two Western Conference favorites, Los Angeles and Houston, but lost to former last-place finisher Seattle 65-59 in its first road game Thursday.
E-mail: lham@desnews.com