Bird scores 24, Storm beats Monarchs 77-71

Sue Bird poured in a season-high 24 points, including 8 in the fourth quarter, as the Seattle Storm fended off a Sacramento comeback to end the Monarchs’ seven-game winning streak Sunday night 77-71.

Swin Cash added 13 points for Seattle (17-9) and Tanish Wright had 12 in the last WNBA game before a monthlong break for the Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Monarchs (15-12), whose winning streak tied a franchise record set in July 2006, were led by Scholanda Robinson with 13 points off the bench. Nicole Powell had 12, including seven in the fourth-quarter rally before she fouled out with 1:21 to go.

The Storm have the WNBA’s best home record, 13-1.

Seattle used two extended scoring surges - 13-0 bridging the second and third quarters and 12-1 later in the third period - to take a 67-47 lead. Sacramento's scoreless spell lasted 4 minutes, 47 seconds, from late in the second quarter to midway through the third as the Monarchs fell from one point to 14 points down, 53-39.

They cut the margin to 55-46 before Seattle put together the 12-3 run, which Katie Gearlds started with back-to-back 3-pointers.

Sacramento's defense forced the Storm to miss nine of their first 10 shots in the fourth quarter and the Monarchs got as close as 69-66 on a pair of free throws by Crystal Kelly with just more than two minutes remaining.

The Monarchs' last loss was 79-64 at home to Seattle on July 8.

The Storm went on a 10-2 run to go from 20-17 down late in the first quarter to a 27-22 lead early in the second. They eventually built that lead to 37-28 on a full-court lay-in by Tanish Wright with 4:05 left before halftime.

The Monarchs then went on an 11-3 run to trail 40-39 before Katie Gearlds drained a 3-pointer just before the horn to give the Storm a 43-39 lead at intermission.