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Monday, Jun. 12 8:00pm ET
Hall's second half pushes Rockers | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Vicki Hall scored 10 of her season-high 12 points in the second half Monday as the Cleveland Rockers recorded their fifth straight win, 83-70 over the expansion Indiana Fever, who have lost three in a row. The Rockers put away the contest with a 16-4 run that opened a 58-42 lead with 13:08 remaining. Hall, an Indianapolis native whose previous season high was seven, matched that total during the spurt and Chasity Melvin capped it with a layup. "It's good to come back home," Hall said. "Definitely their offensive rebounding and our defensive pressure were keys to our game tonight. Our defense played well tonight." Cleveland finished a league-worst 7-25 last season after winning the Eastern Conference title in 1998. But things are different under new coach Dan Hughes as the Rockers own a 1½-game lead over second-place Washington in the East. They have three days off before hosting Detroit. "I think our overall start has been fueled by our defense," Hughes said. "We've had good games where we've rebounded well and kept our turnovers down. I think our depth is a big plus for us because as other teams get fatigued down the stretch, we aren't." Merlakia Jones scored 15 points and Melvin added 14 for Cleveland, which is riding its longest winning streak since capturing a team-record eight straight from July 17-August 2, 1997. Nemcova and Pollyanna Johns added 10 points apiece. Jones shot 6-of-7 from the floor and Melvin was 5-of-8 to help the Rockers connect at 46 percent (26-of-57). They outscored the Fever in the second half, 45-36. Kara Wolters poured in 17 points, Stephanie McCarty added 14 and rookie Danielle McCulley 12 for the Fever, who have dropped two in a row at home and fell to 1-3 at Conseco Fieldhouse. Indiana shot 45 percent (21-of-47) from the field but was only 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. "I like coming off the bench," McCulley said. "It gives me a chance to see what's going on and get a feel for what's needed." "They were fatigued," Fever coach Anne Donovan said. "It's the third game in four days. But it is a long season and we've got to get better. With this kind of loss, it should send a real message." The Fever can do the Rockers a favor by defeating Washington on Thursday. One game after committing a franchise-low 10 turnovers on Saturday against New York, the Fever coughed the ball up 26 times that resulted in 32 points for the Rockers. Cleveland opened a 32-24 lead with 5:05 left in the first half after a 22-6 run. Rushia Brown scored the final four points during the spurt and finished with six. | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Charlotte 78 Detroit 67
Cleveland 83
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