With the playoffs out of their reach, the San Antonio Silver Stars are enjoying the role as spoilers. In front of 9,045 faithful fans at the SBC Center on Wednesday night, the Silver Stars posted a 78-70 overtime victory over the Seattle Storm.
"If we aren't going to be there," laughed Silver Stars' guard Marie Ferdinand, "then they aren't either."
Seattle (16-16) dropped their fifth straight game, falling 1½ games back of the fourth and final playoff spot with only two games remaining on their schedule.
The Silver Stars were up by as many as 10 points in the first half and took a 36-33 lead into the lockerroom. San Antonio shot 48.3% from the floor in the opening stanza but had merely 11 rebounds, including only one on the offensive glass.
"I got on them to hit the boards and take the ball hard to the basket," said Silver Stars' head coach Shell Dailey.
The Silver Stars responded with an aggressive attack, pulling down 25 rebounds in the second half to finish with 36 for the game.
But Seattle didn't give up easily. The Storm went on 10-0 run early in the second half to take their first lead of the game at 43-42 with 15:09 left in the contest.
Forward Adrienne Goodson had a season-high 26 points for San Antonio on 9-for-16 shooting and pulled down a team-high nine boards. Defensively, Goodson shut down Seattle's Amanda Lassiter in the second half.
At the intermission, the Storm forward had nine points on 4-for-5 from the field. But when the game clock expired, Lassiter still had only nine points and was sitting on the bench after fouling out with 3:22 remaining in regulation.
The game was tight throughout the final ten minutes and Seattle trailed by six with 1:35 left in the second half. But late three-pointers by Storm guards Sue Bird and Sandy Brondello then forced the game into overtime.
Ferdinand then turned it on, scoring six of her 25 points in the overtime period. San Antonio held the Storm to only six points of their own in the extra five-minute stanza to pull out the eight-point victory.
The Silver Stars hit 90% (18-for-20) of their free throws on the night, including all eight of their attempts in overtime period.
MVP candidate Lauren Jackson led the way for the Storm with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Brondello (12 points), Bird (10 points) and Sun Min Jung (10 Points) were also in double-figures for Seatlle.
San Antonio defeated the Storm for the third time in four meetings this year.
The Silver Stars will finish the season with with back-to-back games at Phoenix and Los Angeles Friday and Saturday nights.
