Starzz 81, Monarchs 79
Game 32: Monday at Delta Center
Sacramento 28 51 — 79
Utah 29 52 — 81
First half: Close all the way with five tied scores, but Sacramento never led. Utah got up 12-6 following a Jennifer Azzi steal and Marie Ferdinand jump shot, but the rest of the half was much closer. Each team had 14 rebounds, 10 turnovers.
Second half: Monarch Tangela Smith scored 19 of her 23 points to help build a nine-point lead eight minutes into the half. Semeka Randall energized Utah for a 10-3 run. Adrienne Goodson's rebound of her own miss tied the game, and Margo Dydek was fouled rebounding Goodson's missed free throw, putting the Starzz ahead 80-78 prior to a bizarre final six seconds.
Records: Starzz 20-12, Monarchs 13-18
Next up: Host Game 1 of Western Conference playoff either Thursday at 8 p.m. or Friday at 7 p.m., Delta Center.
Quotable: "I won't because I can't. It's against league policy for me to give you my thoughts." — Sacramento coach Maura McHugh, asked for her version of the final few minutes