Storm
Lennox's 27-point explosion forces a deciding Game 3

By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times staff reporter

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES Seattle’s Betty Lennox acknowledges the cheering crowd after the Storm defeated Connecticut 67-65 to even the WNBA Finals and force a deciding Game 3 here tomorrow.

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In the moments before Connecticut's Nykesha Sales flung up a last-second three-point attempt in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals last night, Lennox had done all she could to keep the Storm alive.

She made a beautiful 15-foot jumper with 51.8 seconds left to give Seattle a five-point lead , but Sales answered with a three-pointer seconds later, making it 67-65.

A shooting duel was in session.

Only Lennox was running out of time. A red-hot Sales had the ball and was open for an uncontested three-pointer to win at the buzzer in the right-corner pocket.

But her attempt pinged off the backboard into her face, giving the Storm a 67-65 victory before a frenetic sold-out KeyArena, and tying the series 1-1.

"I bet if she could have her pick, she'd miss some of those other shots to make that one," Lennox said of Sales' final attempt.

Sales scored 21 of her Finals-record 32 points in the second half to try to sweep the Storm for her two-year-old franchise's first title. Yet Lennox's more-timely 16 points in the same half are what pulled the Storm to a deciding Game 3 tomorrow at 6 p.m. at KeyArena.

For the first time since she was named rookie of the year in 2000 while playing for Minnesota, Lennox heard her name chanted from an enthusiastic crowd.

WNBA Finals Game 3 Sun at Storm, Tuesday, 6 p.m., ESPN2. Series tied 1-1.

"Betty! Betty! Betty!" they cheered from the rafters to the courtside seats, a Storm-record 17,072 in unison. Lennox finished with a season-high 27 points, shooting a Finals-record 68.8 percent from the field, hitting 11 of 16 shots.

"Feels good to win, feels good to win," said Lennox, who was also the leading scorer in the Storm's Game 1 loss with 17 points. "We're in a position that I know I've never been a part of.

"I just played my hardest, and playing in front of the fans here is very supportive. I've never been a part of an atmosphere that's so welcoming. It kept my flow going."

Storm coach Anne Donovan was astonished at the final minutes.

With the scored tied at the 5:43 mark, Lennox outscored Sales 8-5 to close out the game. Lennox also set up teammate Kamila Vodichkova with a kick-out dish to the free-throw line after penetrating deep inside the paint. Vodichkova easily drained the 10-footer.

"How about Betty Lennox?" Donovan said. "Two players that weren't highlighted coming into this series took over, one great play after the other from both ends. It was fun to watch."

For the second consecutive game, Lennox was able to expose Connecticut rookie guard Lindsay Whalen's defense. Although Lennox is shorter at 5 feet 8 to Whalen's 5-9 and thinner than the rookie's linebacker build, Whalen made one mistake in how she played Lennox.

She got physical.

Every time Lennox made a shot, she went tumbling to the ground as if bolted from a cannon. But the baskets slithered through the net and Lennox ignored the no-calls from the officials, seemingly growing in stature from every hit.

"I have to say I love being physical," she said. "I love playing a physical game. I would say it played right into my hands. I was able to, you know, my facial expressions seem like I'm frustrated, but that's me. I play a lot of street basketball. That's me getting myself pumped up to continue to play and just take what the defense gives me. That's what I did tonight."

Whalen also didn't get into Lennox's face until after her shot was off, allowing the veteran to spin in the paint for dazzling layups or wicked jumpers off the dribble.

Meanwhile the taller, more experienced guard in Katie Douglas continued to muffle Storm All-Star Sue Bird.

Despite Lennox's surging play, Sun coach Mike Thibault didn't alter his defensive scheme.

"I wouldn't want to guard Betty Lennox," said Bird. "I guess they're picking their poison on that one (by not switching Whalen and Douglas). But when players do that like Betty, it changes things. Just like we're going to have to do some rethinking on what we do with Nykesha."

Everyone is expecting a change in Game 3, but no one knew yet what it would be.

One thing is certain: Lennox won't be forgotten.

"I just can't believe they would leave someone like Betty Lennox open," said the Storm's Lauren Jackson, who finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. "That's stupid."

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com

WNBA Finals
Seattle vs. Connecticut (Best-of-three series tied 1-1)
Date	Result, time
Oct. 8	Connecticut 68, Seattle 64
Yesterday	Seattle 67, Connecticut 65
Tomorrow	Connecticut at Seattle, 6 p.m.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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