SALT LAKE CITY -- Kate Starbird was quick to say this was
not a turnaround game for the Utah Starzz.
Starbird had a career-high 21 points to give the Utah Starzz an
87-80 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night, Utah's
second home victory this season.
"You would have to knock on wood to say something like that,"
Starbird said about calling the game a turnaround. The Starzz have
struggled to win at home and are now 2-4.
Starbird, starting for the injured Adrienne Goodson, ignited a
12-6 run with a 3-pointer as the Starzz moved out to their biggest
lead, 64-52, with 10:55 remaining in the second half.
"This is the kind of chemistry and especially the kind of
defense that we have hoped for, but haven't really seen yet,"
Starbird said.
The Starzz defense contained Katie Smith, the WNBA's leading
scorer. She still scored 27 points for Minnesota. Smith was a
perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
Her four free throws and a 17-foot jumper helped the Lynx cut
the score to 64-62 with 7:38 left to play.
Natalie Williams had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Starzz
and Marie Ferdinand came off the bench to score a career-high 19
points and four assists. She was 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2
from 3-point range.
"We knew Ferdinand was an aggressive player," said Svetlana
Abrosimova, who had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Lynx. "We
tried to guard her, but she knew exactly what she had to do to take
the ball to the basket."
The Starzz shot a season-best 54.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range.
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ALSO SEE
WNBA Scoreboard
Minnesota team page
Utah team page
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