SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- With the playoffs still several weeks
away, Yolanda Griffith is playing like they have already begun.
The All-Star center had 25 points and 17 rebounds Sunday as the
Sacramento Monarchs beat Phoenix 63-47, snapping the Mercury's
franchise-record five-game winning streak.
Griffith shot 11-for-16 as Sacramento (15-10) built a 17-point
lead by the break and went on to win its second consecutive game.
"Yolanda is in playoff mode right now, she has been a real
force lately," Sacramento coach Maura McHugh said. "She is just
bringing it every night."
Griffith had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the first half as the
Monarchs built a 31-14 halftime lead. "We knew they came in here
winning five in a row, we wanted to come out and make a
statement," Griffith said.
Trisha Fallon scored 18 points, and Maria Stepanova added 13
points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots for Phoenix (11-13),
which is trying to secure the fourth and final playoff berth in the
Western Conference.
"You can't score 14 points in a half and
expect to win, you can't do that against a great team like
Sacramento," Phoenix coach Cynthia Cooper said. "We have to put
this game behind us and move forward."
Ruthie Bolton-Holifield hit four 3-pointers and finished with a
season-high 17 points and five assists in a reserve role for
Sacramento.
Perhaps her biggest basket came after the Mercury cut the lead
to 48-41 with 4:18 left in the game. On the Monarchs' next
possession, Bolton-Holifield made a 3-pointer for an 11-point lead.
"Ruthie is capable of coming in and busting you wide open and
that's what she did today," Phoenix guard Michele Timms said.
"Whenever she is on the court, you have to respect her."
The Mercury shot 4-for-23 and had 10 turnovers in the first
half. Phoenix shot 14-for-55 (25 percent) in the game and missed
all 10 3-point attempts.
It wasn't a much of an offensive effort for Sacramento, either.
The Monarchs shot 22-for-65 (34 percent) and were outscored 33-32 in
the second half.
"We just have to play defense and that's what we did,"
Griffith said. "We pretty much kept them in the game, but we'll
take any kind of win."
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ALSO SEE
WNBA Scoreboard
Phoenix team page
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