Storm notebook: Kraayeveld returns home

As the New York Liberty reserves were announced, a big cheer went up from section 117, rows 19 and 20, also known as the Cathrine Kraayeveld rooting section.

Kraayeveld, a 2000 graduate of Lake Washington High School who played at Oregon, played in her first professional game last night and was cheered by a group of 21 friends and family members.

Unfortunately, they had little to cheer about after the pregame introductions. Kraayeveld, a 6-foot-4 forward, did not play in the first half as the Liberty fell behind by 19 points. She came into the game midway through the second half, getting a nice ovation from her fans.

She scored no points in three minutes, but Kraayeveld was glad to spend time at home.

"It's exciting to come back home and spend some time with my family and friends," said Kraayeveld, who led LW to a second-place state finish as a junior and was named the state player of the year as a senior. "I love the Northwest, and it's good to have some people in the stands."

Among her rooting section were her parents, Dave and Cindy, seeing her as a pro for the first time.

"This is really fun for us," Cindy said. "This has been her dream since she was 7. How many kids get to live their dreams? Ever since she was little, she's wanted to play basketball."

On the offensive

While Storm coach Anne Donovan has been stressing defense, the offense seems to be finding its groove. Before its three-game winning streak, the Storm scored over 70 points only twice in six losses (in a seven-game stretch). In their past three games, Seattle has scored 257 points.

According to Storm guard Sue Bird, the emphasis on defense helps the offense, too.

"When we have intensity on the defensive end, it carries over," said Bird. "When we're playing hard on defense, even if they score, it still carries over. When they don't score and we're able to rebound and run, that's when we get our easy baskets. The more you run, especially for our team, the more you're going to score."

Yesterday's box

NEW YORK
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Baranova	31	5-7	0-0	1-9	3	2	11
Robinson	25	2-7	6-6	3-3	4	5	10
Wauters	36	1-9	3-4	1-5	2	4	5
VJohnson	25	7-12	0-0	2-4	2	0	15
Hammon	22	6-11	4-4	1-2	3	4	18
Christon	21	3-7	8-8	2-6	1	1	15
LMoore	18	0-1	0-0	0-3	0	0	0
Frett	10	0-3	1-1	0-0	0	3	1
Thorn	9	1-4	0-0	0-0	0	4	3
Kraayeveld	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0
Totals		25-61	22-23	10-32	16	23	78

Percentages: FG .410, FT .957. Three-point goals: 6-21, .286 (Hammon 2-5, Christon 1-2, V.Johnson 1-3, Baranova 1-3, Thorn 1-4, Robinson 0-4). Team rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 14 (17 PTS). Blocked shots: 6 (Baranova 4, Wauters, Kraayeveld). Turnovers: 14 (L.Moore 5, Hammon 4, Wauters 2, Robinson, Baranova, Christon). Steals: 8 (Hammon 3, Baranova 2, Christon 2, V.Johnson). Technical fouls: None.

SEATTLE
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
C. Marques	29	7-10	2-2	0-2	1	3	20
Jackson	27	5-13	0-0	0-5	1	3	10
Burse	34	4-10	7-7	8-11	0	2	15
Bird	33	2-6	3-4	0-2	5	0	8
Lennox	31	4-14	9-10	1-5	4	3	18
Vodopynva	10	2-4	0-0	0-2	0	2	4
Zara	12	1-2	1-2	1-1	2	1	3
Wright	5	1-1	0-0	0-1	2	1	2
Batkovic	19	2-5	2-2	0-2	2	3	7
Totals		28-65	24-27	10-31	17	18	87

Percentages: FG .431, FT .889. Three-point goals: 7-19, .368 (Castro Marques 4-4, Batkovic 1-1, Bird 1-2, Lennox 1-7, Vodopyanova 0-1, Zara 0-1, Jackson 0-3). Team rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 10 (10 PTS). Blocked shots: 3 (Burse 2, Jackson). Turnovers: 10 (Jackson 2, Bird 2, Lennox 2, Burse, Batkovic, Castro Marques, Vodopyanova). Steals: 10 (Bird 3, Lennox 2, Batkovic 2, Jackson, Wright, Zara). Technical fouls: None.

New York	26	52 — 78
Seattle	45	42 — 87

Attendance: 7,361 (9,686). Time: 1:52. Officials: Clarke Stevens, Melissa Barlow, Tom Mauer.