Storm routs Minnesota, 90-62

Seattle expected a rallying cry. What it got was another Friday night rout against Minnesota.

After beating the youthful Lynx by 17 points last Friday on the road, the Storm finished the beating in a 90-62 victory before 7,607 at KeyArena.

Seattle was expecting a bigger challenge early since the Lynx played without scoring leader Seimone Augustus, who tore her left ACL on Wednesday. She was averaging 21.0 points, third in the league, and was just named Player of the Week.

"We were in the same situation last year," said Storm guard Sue Bird of when Seattle defeated Minnesota on the road without Lauren Jackson [Olympics], Sheryl Swoopes [concussion] and Yolanda Griffith [knee]. "We knew how we rallied and how we had to play our best game. We had a lot of energy, and that's what we were expecting from them. That's why we had such a great start [a 12-2 lead Friday]. I don't know if they gave in or what, but we didn't see the same energy we saw in Minnesota."

The Storm led 29-16 late in the first quarter, but a three-pointer by Minnesota guard Roneeka Hodges pulled the Lynx to 36-29 with 5:43 remaining in the second quarter. But the Storm responded by amping up its energy.

Jackson, a 6-foot-5 forward, responded with a three-pointer and the Storm closed the opening half on a 19-3 run to build a 55-32 advantage. Seattle shot 72.7 percent from the field in the half and made all five of its three-point attempts.

"When we get off to starts like that, it really propels everything else," guard Tanisha Wright said. "We just need to put more consistency to it. String a couple of games together where we can just continue to do that."

Jackson led Seattle 26 points on 7-of -11 shooting, and Bird had 10 assists.

The Storm (4-2) departs today to play Phoenix (5-1) on Sunday. Seattle is in the midst of seven games against Western Conference opponents, three on the road.

Minnesota (4-3) returns home from a 1-2 road trip and now has to adjust to the rest of the season without Augustus.

The Lynx started Roneeka Hodges in her place, a former Storm training camp invitee. But Minnesota again couldn't overcome Seattle's offensive firepower and defensive tenacity. In last week's loss to Seattle, Augustus was held to one field goal in the opening half.

"Any player that's lost like that to a team, it's deflating," Jackson said. "Those guys have enough talent, though, to win games. They've just got to regroup now and try to find other ways to score. But it's hard, especially when you've got a young team like that."

Behind eight points from reserve Janell Burse in the third quarter, Seattle stretched its lead to 33 points and the starters rested the final 10 minutes.

"You can't rely on role players to come in and score 30," Minnesota coach Jennifer Gillom said of replacing Augustus. "It's impossible in one day. We just need time."

Candice Wiggins led Minnesota with 12 points.

Seattle moved into second place in the Western Conference, a game behind Phoenix, which defeated Los Angeles on Friday.

Media blitz

The Storm returned to purchasing television spots, and Friday's game was a test to see how the 15-second spots over five days are working.

Pitching "Dad's and Daughter's Night" to celebrate Father's Day, there were 7,607 in attendance. The team's average attendance last season was 8,265.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck attended with his daughters.

"In the past we've done more print, but really, based on the economy, there were some great deals," said Laura Sgrecci, senior manager of Storm marketing and promotions. "It's mostly economy-based and trying to see what can we do. We'll look after this game and make changes if necessary."

Negotiations ongoing

Storm CEO Karen Bryant said the team is still in discussions with coach Brian Agler's representatives about a contract extension. The same goes for Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, whose deals also expire at the end of the season.

Bryant said finalizing deals with the players will probably occur in the offseason while negotiations with Agler could pick up steam during the All-Star break.

"Right now the focus is on the season and getting that started," she said.

MINNESOTA		fg	ft
min		m-a	m-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Hodges	31:43	2-9	2-2	0-3	1	3	8
Houston	19:02	4-12	3-3	1-3	2	3	11
Anosike	31:07	2-7	4-6	4-7	1	3	8
Wiggins	23:34	4-10	4-5	1-3	2	3	12
Miller	18:47	0-4	0-0	0-2	0	2	0
Hollngswrth	15:28	1-2	7-8	0-2	0	4	9
Montgomry	22:01	1-5	2-2	0-1	1	2	4
Pringle	5:04	0-1	1-2	0-0	0	2	1
McCants	21:41	3-6	0-0	5-5	1	6	8
Thomas	11:33	0-2	1-2	3-5	0	1	1
Totals		17-58	24-30	14-31	8	29	62

Percentages: FG .293, FT .800. Three-point goals: 4-19, .211 (McCants 2-2, Hodges 2-4, Houston 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Miller 0-2, Montgomery 0-4, Wiggins 0-5). Team rebounds: 13. Team Turnovers: 21 (29 PTS). Blocked shots: 2 (Houston, Thomas). Turnovers: 20 (Anosike 3, Houston 3, Miller 3, Montgomery 3, Hollingsworth 2, McCants 2, Wiggins 2, Hodges, Thomas). Steals: 11 (Miller 3, Anosike 2, Hollingsworth 2, Wiggins 2, Hodges, Houston). Technical fouls: Wiggins, 7:32 third.

SEATTLE		fg	ft
min		m-a	m-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Cash	22:52	2-8	6-8	1-4	2	1	10
Jackson	22:49	7-11	8-11	2-6	0	3	26
Little	17:20	3-5	1-2	1-2	0	1	7
Bird	23:44	2-3	0-0	0-1	10	1	4
Wright	24:14	1-2	5-6	1-1	4	3	7
Burse	14:41	3-3	8-9	1-2	2	3	14
Johnson	22:02	2-3	2-2	1-6	2	5	6
Gearlds	17:08	4-8	0-0	1-1	0	2	11
Batkovic	11:32	1-4	0-0	1-2	0	3	3
Robinson	13:33	1-3	0-0	0-4	0	1	2
Walker	10:05	0-2	0-0	0-2	1	4	0
Totals		26-52	30-38	9-31	21	27	90

Percentages: FG .500, FT .789. Three-point goals: 8-14, .571 (Jackson 4-6, Gearlds 3-5, Batkovic 1-2, Cash 0-1). Team rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 15 (14 PTS). Blocked shots: 4 (Jackson 2, Burse, Robinson). Turnovers: 15 (Johnson 4, Wright 3, Cash 2, Jackson 2, Batkovic, Gearlds, Little, Walker). Steals: 14 (Jackson 6, Bird 2, Burse, Cash, Johnson, Robinson, Walker, Wright). Technical fouls: Coach Agler, 9:03 third.

Minnesota	19	13	15	15 — 62
Seattle	31	24	25	10 — 90

Attendance: 7,607 (17,098). Time: 1:58. Officials: Kurt Walker, Amy Bonner, Cameron Inouye.