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Special thanks to Troy Littledeer for his coverage of the Tulsa Shock vs. Seattle Storm game Friday at the BOK center!
Sue Bird was 9-for-12 from the field; three for five from beyond the arc; and zero turnovers to lead her Seattle Storm (2-7) team to only their second victory of the regular season, a 86-73 win over the Tulsa Shock. Seattle's first win - like their second - came at the expense of the Tulsa Shock (0-9).
"Sue Bird... She showed why she's the best [point guard] in the world," Tulsa Shock head coach Gary Kloppenburg said as he looked at the final box scores before answering media questions. Bird sunk her first nine consecutive field goal attempts.
Four Storm players scored in double figures. Bird finishined with 21 to lead all scorers, shot perfect until the final 52 seconds in the third quarter. Katie Smith poured in 17 while Tina Thompson and Shekinna Stricklen contributed a quiet 16 and 12 points each respectively for the Seattle Storm.
Jennifer Lacy led the Tulsa Shock with her 16. Lacy was also one of four Shock players to score double digits. Aiding Lacy were Shock point guard Temeka Johnson with her 13 points, five boards, and eight assists; Glory Johnson also had 13 points five boards, and Kayla Pedersen had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Tulsa lost the rebounding battle, first 17-6 in the first half, then finally 36-23 total and only shot 39.3% in contrast to Seattle's 54.7% from the field.
"We're not a great shooting team, we don't have a great inside game, so we relying on a lot of perimeter game," noted Kloppenburg on Tulsa's offensive struggle against Seattle, "We can shoot well from the outside so it's a continuing journey for our team to develop our offensive inside/outside game."
Next up for the Shock are the Phoenix Mercury in Tulsa, while Seattle hosts the defending WNBA champs, Minnesota. Both games on Sunday.
You can see more of Troy's photography from the game in his Facebook album here.