Notebook | Yolanda Griffith held to 15 minutes after injuring knee, ankle

SAN ANTONIO — Storm center Yolanda Griffith said she was feeling pain during the five-point loss to San Antonio on Friday. She "twisted" her left knee and ankle during a drive to the basket in the opening half, limiting her to 15 minutes.

"I'm feeling it, but I'm not going to worry about it," said Griffith, who finished with 10 rebounds and two points. "There's nothing I can do about it. [Coach Brian Agler] has to understand that a lot of players played a lot of minutes. The ones that didn't play have to be ready for [today]."

Reserve Shyra Ely has been ready after an inconsistent start to the season.

Ely replaced Griffith when the veteran went down and contributed eight points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Ely made 5 of 6 free throws and grabbed five rebounds in nine minutes of the win against Phoenix on Wednesday.

Agler said he didn't play center Ashley Robinson as much on Friday because her right Achilles tendon was bothering her more than usual. Robinson said the injury is going to need season-long maintenance.

"We have to be there to be able to support the starters and stuff," said Ely, who was drafted by San Antonio in 2005. "I'm just trying to be ready when my name is called."

Lineup change

The Silver Stars returned All-Star forward Sophia Young back to the starting lineup after a groin injury and benched veteran guard Helen Darling for forward Erin Buescher.

San Antonio center Ann Wauters, who's returning to the WNBA after a two-year absence, also moved into the starting five.

Buescher, who normally has impressive games against Seattle, was sketchy, finishing with four points.

Wauters had 12 boards and eight points.

There was some question about whether Buescher should have even been on the court late in the game. Media and both teams had her with six fouls. But the stat crew and officials had her down for five.

Notes

• Brazil lost against Belarus Friday in a quarterfinal matchup of the FIBA Olympic Qualifier Tournament.

Storm forward Kelly Santos of Brazil had a team-leading nine rebounds. Her country plays Angola on Saturday for one last chance to earn an Olympic berth.

• Looking for a different experience, Storm guard Tanisha Wright signed to play in France for Tarbes LFB this offseason. Wright played the past two offseasons in Israel, earning MVP honors.

Friday night's box

SEATTLE
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Cash	34:57	1-7	5-6	0-2	1	2	7
Jackson	37:58	7-15	4-5	2-8	2	5	18
Griffith	15:08	0-1	2-6	3-10	1	1	2
Swoopes	29:03	2-8	3-6	2-3	2	1	7
Bird	37:08	7-15	3-4	0-4	7	3	21
Ely	24:17	4-7	0-0	3-7	3	0	8
Wright	13:26	1-4	0-0	0-1	1	0	2
Robinson	2:02	1-1	0-0	0-1	0	0	2
Beck	1:42	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Gearlds	4:19	1-2	0-1	1-2	1	0	2
Totals		24-60	17-28	11-38	18	12	69

Percentages: FG .400, FT .607. Three-point goals: 4-16, .250 (Bird 4-8, Gearlds 0-1, Swoopes 0-2, Jackson 0-5). Team rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 13 (9 PTS). Blocked shots: 1 (Jackson). Turnovers: 11 (Bird 4, Wright 3, Swoopes 2, Cash, Griffith). Steals: 5 (Jackson 3, Bird, Swoopes). Technical fouls: None.

SAN ANTONIO
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Buescher	33:16	2-5	0-0	2-5	3	5	4
Young	32:34	5-11	5-7	1-4	3	2	15
Wauters	26:05	3-7	2-4	2-12	1	3	8
Johnson	29:29	6-13	2-2	2-4	4	0	16
Hammon	32:21	6-12	2-2	0-2	3	3	17
Darling	19:35	1-6	0-0	0-2	1	4	3
Riley	17:32	3-7	0-0	0-3	0	3	6
Atunrase	6:19	2-4	0-0	1-3	0	1	5
Lawson-Wade	2:49	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0
Totals		28-66	11-15	8-35	16	21	74

Percentages: FG .424, FT .733. Three-point goals: 7-21, .333 (Hammon 3-8, Johnson 2-4, Atunrase 1-2, Darling 1-4, Lawson-Wade 0-1, Buescher 0-2). Team rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 10 (11 PTS). Blocked shots: 6 (Buescher 2, Riley 2, Wauters, Young). Turnovers: 8 (Darling 3, Wauters 2, Johnson, Lawson-Wade, Riley). Steals: 7 (Buescher 4, Hammon 3). Technical fouls: None.

Seattle	21	19	16	13 — 69
San Antonio	14	16	23	21 — 74

Attendance: 6,478 (18,500). Time: 1:57. Officials: Daryl Humphrey, Jeff Smith, Angelica Suffren.