Storm beats Monarchs again for 2-0 start in WNBA

After enduring a nail-biting offseason in which the Storm almost lost its heart to Phoenix, the KeyArena crowd couldn't hold back anymore.

As forward Lauren Jackson made her player-introductions appearance, the crowd of 9,686 showered her with adoration. The cheers seemed to grow with each step down the lower-bowl seating. And her cheeks, easy to flush anyway, became redder.

"I did not expect to get that sort of reception from everybody," said Jackson, who in her first go as an unrestricted free agent weighed her options between Seattle and Phoenix before re-signing with the Storm on May 4. "It meant a lot, and it's so great to be back."

Jackson slipped into form once the game started, helping the Storm dominate inside in an 80-70 win against Sacramento, giving Seattle a 2-0 start to the season with its second win over the Monarchs in two days. The Australian led all scorers with 25 points, making the Storm's celebration of the day it was awarded a franchise in 1999 even more special.

Yet, behind the flurry of Jackson shots was another key component to coach Brian Agler's important offseason. In addition to re-signing Jackson, his two other primary goals were acquiring a backup point guard and re-signing Tanisha Wright.

The backup molded into a three-guard starting lineup that, despite an injury to Shannon Johnson, Agler used again on Sunday. The multiple ball-handlers opened up the Storm offense, allowing guard Sue Bird to add 15 points and eight assists in the win.

"[Shannon] really sucked it up," said Agler of Johnson's sprained left knee. "It really helps Sue a lot from the standpoint that the pressure is not on Sue to bring the ball up. We had a chance to get a two-man game up top with Lauren and Sue and sustained our lead.

"Sue looked so energetic. She wore down a little bit, she's in great condition and made some terrific plays. She's the best point guard there is."

Seattle jumped out to an early 17-4 lead in the opening quarter, outscoring the Monarchs 10-0 inside the paint. The Storm led 41-32 at halftime and opened the second half on a 7-0 spurt, but experienced a lull.

A layup by Monarchs rookie center Courtney Paris capped an 11-0 Sacramento run to pull her team within 48-43. Then Jackson and Bird went to work, setting up teammate Camille Little, hitting their own shots and grabbing rebounds.

"It opens everything up," said Jackson of the three-guard look. "It lets Sue look for her shots, which is great because it frees me up and Camille, who's a monster on the boards."

The effort helped the Storm lead 63-50 at the end of the third quarter. The closest the Monarchs came in the fourth was 10 points.

"[Lauren] still wows me every now and then," Bird said. "She was dropping some dimes, so I had to give her kudos for that. That was new. And she cleaned a lot of people's clocks [with screens]."

Seattle, after playing its only back-to-back games of the season, departs today for a three-game trip.

"I was just stiff," said Johnson, who rode the stationary bike on the sideline. "I feel like I'm dragging, but I tried to go out there and be productive. Give minutes when I could."

Aussie arrival

The final piece to the Storm roster arrived on Sunday in Australian center Suzy Batkovic-Brown. Signed in the offseason, she missed training camp to marry and have a brief honeymoon.

"There are so many factors," Agler said. "We're going to try to get her ready as quick as we can. It's one of those things where you look at the season two different ways, you look at game-by-game and you look at it of where you want to be at the end of this month.

"I would hope that once we get a week of practice here by ourselves under our belt, we could have her feeling comfortable to be out on the floor to play extended minutes."

Notes

• Agler said Johnson had an MRI on her left knee, which revealed a sprain. She suffered the injury midway through the third quarter of the season-opening win on Saturday, but was able to start on Sunday.

• Sacramento guard Ticha Penicheiro left with 7:04 remaining in the game with a sprained right thumb and did not return. She finished with four points and three assists in 19 minutes.