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Saturday, Jun. 10 7:30pm ET
It's a Miracle! | |||||
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BOX SCORE
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- After missing a free throw with 12 seconds to play, Shannon Johnson asked her Orlando Miracle teammates for another chance. They gave it to her, and she didn't let them down by drilling a 3-pointer as time expired Saturday night, lifting the Miracle to a 74-71 victory over the winless Charlotte Sting. "I was a little disappointed after I missed that late free throw, so I'm glad my coach and teammates were confident to put the ball in my hands for the last shot," Johnson said. "I always want the ball in that situation, but I wasn't sure I had earned it." Charlotte (0-5) is the only WNBA team without a victory this season, and has lost 10 consecutive regular-season games, dating back to last season. Orlando (4-3) led 68-61 with 1:01 to play, but saw the lead evaporate as Charlotte picked up the intensity in a desperate attempt to earn its first win. Rhonda Mapp scored on a layup, but missed the chance to make it a three-point play when she failed to convert her free-throw attempt. Charlotte got the rebound, though, and Summer Erb made it 68-65 on a layup with 29 seconds to play. The Sting immediately fouled Johnson, who made both free throws to give the Miracle a 70-65 lead with 27.6 seconds to play. Charlotte's Tiffany Travis then hit a long 3-pointer with 14 seconds left to cut it to 70-68. Johnson was sent to the line again, but made just one of her two free throws while giving Orlando a 71-68 lead. "I was pretty mad after missing that free throw because I could have sealed the win," Johnson said. "Instead I left the door open for Charlotte." The Sting took advantage and tied the game on Mapp's desperation 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play. It looked like the game was headed to overtime, but Charlotte didn't defend the inbound pass after the timeout, and Nykesha Sales had a clear shot at Johnson, who caught the ball, turned and tossed it straight into the hoop as the final buzzer sounded. "Rhonda just made her shot with too much time left on the clock and they answered with a clutch basket," Charlotte coach T.R. Dunn said. "We wanted to make them make that shot at the end, and I'd take that chance again." Taj McWilliams and Sales led Orlando with 20 points each. Johnson finished with 11, seven in the final 28 seconds. Andrea Stinson led Charlotte with 18 points. Mapp added 15 and Travis scored 11. The defeat was costly for Charlotte, which lost starting forward Charlotte Smith with 15:47 to play in the second half because of a twisted right knee. The Sting, off to their worst start in franchise history, now go on a four-game road trip. "The players are taking the loss hard," Dunn said. "But they also feel good that they are playing better. They didn't win tonight, but they know it's a start." | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Los Angeles 76 Phoenix 57
Orlando 74
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