Storm warning: Sky falls on Seattle in exhibition opener

CHICAGO — It was the exhibition season all right, with ragged play much of the night Wednesday, but glimpses flashed in the first half of what the Storm might be with two of the WNBA's greatest players together.

As for the game, the Chicago Sky turned it into a rout in the second half and beat the Storm 66-46 to open the WNBA exhibition season at UIC Pavilion.

It was the first game with Sheryl Swoopes, the first WNBA player to earn three MVPs (2000, 2002, 2005), and Yolanda Griffith, the 1999 MVP, playing together for the Storm. Swoopes signed March 3, and Griffith joined the team April 18.

Griffith, who began playing basketball on Chicago's South Side, played with a physical presence that belied her 38 years.

"If I am going to go out, I am going to go out with a bang," she said. "This is my last year."

Griffith scored the Storm's first points with a short turnaround jumper more than two minutes into the game. And it was inside that the 6-foot-4 center/forward made her presence felt.

The first glimpse of the Swoopes/Griffith factor came a minute later. Griffith muscled down a rebound, spun and caught Swoopes cutting to the basket. The play nearly got Swoopes obliterated under a cloud of Sky defenders.

Griffith (13:56) and Swoopes (18:38) got significant playing time in the first half, which ended with the Sky ahead 27-25.

"I think we learned their presence is pretty important for this group right here," Storm coach Brian Agler said. "They still have a ways to go in terms of their conditioning. But it was good to see them play the duration of the first half and get some minutes in."

Griffith, who stayed loose in the second half riding a stationary bike, led all Storm scorers with nine. Swoopes had three points and two assists.

Why Seattle for Griffith? "I always wanted to play for Brian," Griffith said. "They have L.J. [Lauren Jackson], a two-time MVP, and Sue Bird, who I won gold medals with."

Agler looked at other players and combinations in the second half, and the Sky turned the game into a rout.

"I think we learned a lot," Agler said. "We learned a lot about what we need to work on."

Allie Quigley, a 2008 draftee, saw the most minutes of the Storm's subs with 18:56. She was playing in front of many of her teammates from DePaul. Quigley interrupted her student teaching to play for the Storm.

The 5-11 guard had a team-high four assists and five rebounds, second only to the seven from Katie Gearlds. But Quigley went 0 for 6 from the field.

Quianna Chaney led the Sky with 11 points.

The Storm had many combinations to try. Bird, Jackson, Janell Burse, Roneeka Hodges, Doneeka Lewis, Kelly Santos and Tanisha Wright were all missing because of overseas commitments.

"We don't even have half our players, but it is OK, we still have to compete," Griffith said. "It was a wake-up call. There are a lot of players trying to make this team, and a lot of players that don't have the WNBA experience."

Agler was asked when all the team would finally be together.

"Everybody? That would be three or four days before we have our first game," he said.

Wednesday's exhibition box

SEATTLE
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Swoopes	19	1-4	1-2	0-2	2	0	3
Griffith	14	3-3	3-3	2-2	0	3	9
Ely	25	3-9	0-0	1-3	1	3	6
Beck	15	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	2
Gearlds	27	1-9	2-2	0-7	1	3	4
Quigley	19	0-6	0-0	4-5	4	2	0
Hodges	17	1-5	0-0	1-2	2	2	3
Robinson	17	1-5	0-0	0-2	0	4	2
Davis	13	2-3	0-0	1-2	1	2	5
O'Neill	11	1-3	0-0	0-1	0	0	3
Doma	11	1-5	0-0	1-3	0	0	2
Rush	11	0-2	2-2	0-1	0	0	2
Kennedy	7	2-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	5
Totals		17-57	8-9	10-30	11	21	46

Percentages: FG .300, FT .889. Three-point goals: 4-15 (Ely 0-1, Gearlds 0-3, Quigley 0-4, Hodges 1-2, Davis 1-1, O'Neill 1-2, rush 0-1, Kennedy 1-1). Team rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 21. Blocked shots: 3 (Gearlds 2, Robinson). Turnovers: 19 (Swoopes 2, Griffith 5, Beck 2, Gearlds 2, Quigley, Robinson 4, Doma, Rush, Kennedy). Steals: 14 (Swoopes, Griffith 2, Ely 3, Beck, Gearlds, Quigley, Hodges 2, Robinson, O'Neill, Doma). Technical fouls: N/A.

CHICAGO
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Price	17	3-5	3-3	0-0	4	1	9
Queenan	25	4-4	0-0	2-4	1	1	10
Melvin	24	2-6	1-4	2-5	2	2	5
Raymond	14	2-6	0-0	1-4	3	0	6
Coggins	16	2-6	0-2	0-0	0	1	4
Christensen	22	2-4	0-0	1-6	1	3	4
Moore	18	1-4	0-0	1-5	2	2	3
Jackson	17	1-3	2-2	1-2	2	1	4
Tisdale	15	1-5	2-6	0-1	3	2	4
Chaney	13	3-4	2-2	0-1	1	0	11
Fowles	11	3-4	0-0	1-6	0	0	6
Stone	12	0-1	0-0	1-2	3	1	0
Totals		24-52	10-19	10-36	22	14	66

Percentages: FG .462, FT .526. Three-point goals: 8-17 (Queenan 2-2, Raymond 2-5, Coggins 0-2, Jackson 2-2, Tisdale 2-6, Chaney 2-2). Team rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 20. Blocked shots: 4 (Queenan, Melvin 2, Fowles). Turnovers: 19 (Queenan 2, Melvin 3, Christensen 2, Moore 3, Jackson, Tisdale, Fowles 4, Stone). Steals: 8 (Price 2, Queenan, Raymond, Christensen, Moore, Chaney). Technical fouls: N/A.

	Seattle		8	17	14	7 — 46

	Chicago		13	14	21	18 — 66

Attendance: (N/A). Time: 1:45. Officials: F. Grinter, S. Blauch, C. Inouye.