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BOX SCORE
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando Miracle coach Carolyn Peck wants
her team to be a topic of conversation.
She sparked the talk Monday night after Orlando won its third
consecutive game, 75-68 over the Sacramento Monarchs.
|  | | Orlando's Adrienne Johnson can't be stopped in her drive to the hoop past Ruthie Bolton-Holifield (6) and Stacy Clinesmith. |
"No one wants to talk about the Orlando Miracle," Peck said.
"Everybody wants to talk about the Western Conference and wants to
talk about (Washington's) Chamique Holdsclaw. Well, this team is
making a little noise of its own."
Nykesha Sales led the way again with 22 points, but she had help
from Shannon Johnson with 20 points and Adrienne Johnson with 12.
Cintia Dos Santos scored 11 points and Taj McWilliams had 12
rebounds. Orlando (3-1) never trailed.
"We just wanted to play our game," McWilliams said.
"ESPN was here and nobody really wanted to talk about the
Orlando Miracle, so we got really fired up about that. We wanted to
play well and show everybody that when you come to Orlando, it's a
tough team you've got to play."
Sacramento's Stacy Clinesmith hit a 3-pointer with 5:54
remaining in the game that cut Orlando's lead to 61-60. But Shannon
Johnson made six of Orlando's final nine points and the Miracle
finished the game on a 6-2 run.
Sacramento (1-2) shot 41.8 percent from the field, but was only
5-of-17 on 3-pointers. Kedra Holland-Corn led the Monarchs with 21
points, and Tangela Smith added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
"We are still struggling to be consistent and for all of us to
be on the same page offensively," Sacramento coach Sonny Allen
said. "I have never seen us fumble the ball so many times. We were
never able to get a loose ball, a rebound that we could control.
But yet we hustled enough to put ourselves in a position to win."
Shannon Johnson made one of two free throws to put Orlando ahead
71-66 with 47.9 seconds remaining. Sacramento's Ruthie
Bolton-Holifield then missed a 3-pointer, but Yolanda Griffith
scored on the Monarchs' next possession to cut Orlando's lead to
71-68 with 30.4 left. Adrienne Johnson was fouled on Orlando's next
possession and made both free throws and Shannon Johnson scored the
game's final basket on a breakaway layup.
Sales had 11 first-half points to lead all scorers as Orlando
led at halftime, 36-30. Sacramento was led by Smith's eight points.
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ALSO SEE
WNBA Scoreboard
RECAPS
Cleveland 69
Charlotte 53
Indiana 80
Miami 59
Minnesota 88
Detroit 68
Orlando 75
Sacramento 68
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Taj McWilliams passes downcourt to Shannon Johnson for the layup.
avi: 701 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Ticha Penicheiro drives the lane for the hoop and the foul.
avi: 621 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Janon Roland knocks down the open 3-pointer.
avi: 584 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Nykesha Sales says the Orlando Miracle are a good team.
wav: 117 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Carolyn Peck says the Miracle's win on Monday was a total team effort.
wav: 117 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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