A streaking second-half rally and impressive bench play for he Shock contributed to the Stars doing what has only ever been done one other time in the WNBA (by the 1998 Washington Mystics); going winless for the entire season on the road.
The league's two worst shooting teams collided in Tulsa tonight in a game that started out slow and seemed to correctly reflect those statistics. The Shock even went on a five and a half minute drought at one point.
Other antics also contributed to the slow start of the game, including a rain delay and Tulsa's Karima Christmas' early exit just a few minutes after the tip due to a hand laceration.
The end of the first quarter brought about a score of just 17-12. Both teams looked to have little motivation as the Shock have already locked up a playoff spot and the Stars are already out of the hunt.
San Antonio seemed to fight just a little harder and get their hands on every loose ball to build an 11 point lead early in the second quarter. However, a significant momentum shift occurred when Tulsa cleared out their lineup and five bench players brought some swagger back to the game.
Jordan Hooper nailed all three free throws after being fouled on an attempt beyond the arc and started the Shock on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to just three with a score of 26-23.
The Stars bounced back, mostly, in part by turnovers and bad transition defense on Tulsa's behalf. Back to back three-point plays off fast-breaks seemed to give them a little cushion, but an and-1 from Odyssey Sims eased the gap and closed the half out with a score of just 34-28 in San Antonio's favor.
If the first half was slow, the second was anything but that. The lead changed more times than I do prepare for a first date. A layup by Sims at the seven-minute mark in the third gave the Shock their first lead of the game at 38-36. The roles were now reversed, and Tulsa had the hot hand, hitting everything they put up with the Stars starting out cold at just 1-6.
Both teams were terrible from long-range with neither breaking 20% from downtown. Their stat lines were almost identical, with the exception of the Shock bettering the Stars 43.1% to 33.3% from the field following their hot streak in the second half.
A 9-0 run by Tulsa capped off by a miracle scoop-tip by Theresa Plaisance finally put the back-and-forth game to bed.
Four starters for San Antonio finished in double figures, most notably Alex Montgomery who ended with a season-high 12 points and Jia Perkins, who was on the grind throughout the game to lead the team with 24. The Stars will conclude their season Sunday at Seattle.
Only Sims finished in double figures for the Shock, but she was spectacular in the win. She ended with 27 to lead the team to the 74-64 victory and clinch the third seed in the West. The Shock ends the