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BOX SCORE
ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Nykesha Sales scored 20 points to
lead all five starters in double figures and had a
career-high seven assists as the hot-shooting Orlando Miracle
remained atop the Eastern Conference with an 88-78 triumph over
the Detroit Shock.
|  | | Elaine Powell is consoled by a teammate after injuring her left knee in the first half of Wednesday's game. |
Taj McWilliams added 19 points and 10 rebounds and rookie Cintia
Dos Santos had a career-high 17 points for the Miracle, who suffered a setback when second-year guard Elaine Powell went down with a potentially serious left knee injury in the first half and was
taken to a hospital.
"It was tough on all of us to see 'EP' go down," Orlando coach
Carolyn Peck said. "I know EP and I know she doesn't want to be
the center of what happened tonight, she wants to be happy about
the win. Elaine is probably the heart of our team."
"I think we're dedicating the rest of the season to EP," Sales
added. "We have to come out with a lot of fire and play up to
our potential."
Orlando had
lost two in a row heading into the All-Star break but defeated
Detroit for the second time in 11 days. They entered with a
half-game lead over second-place Cleveland and a one-game edge
over New York in the East.
"We realize this is the crucial part of the season," Sales said.
"We have to bring our game to another level in order to come up
with the wins. ... I think all of us realized last year that
this is the part of the season that killed us, so we want to
change that for this year."
Shannon Johnson chipped in 15 points and Adrienne Johnson 12 to
help Orlando match a season-high point total. The Miracle also
scored 88 points at Indiana on June 3 and at Utah 10 days later.
Adrienne Johnson nailed an 18-foot jumper from the right corner
and a 3-pointer as Orlando scored the final nine points of the
first half for a 44-29 cushion.
The Miracle lost second-year guard Elaine Powell, who suffered a
potentially serious left knee injury in the first half and was
taken to a hospital.
"It was tough on all of us to see 'EP' go down," Orlando coach
Carolyn Peck said. "I know EP and I know she doesn't want to be
the center of what happened tonight, she wants to be happy about
the win. Elaine is probably the heart of our team."
"I think we're dedicating the rest of the season to EP," Sales
added. "We have to come out with a lot of fire and play up to
our potential."
Claudia Maria Das Neves netted 19 points to lead the Shock, who
had won two in a row before the break but lost for the fourth
time in their last five road games.
"They came out ready to play tonight," Detroit forward Wendy
Palmer said. "They were fired up, they had the energy and
emotion, and they got it done."
The Miracle shot nearly 57 percent (37-of-65) to make up for a
36-22 rebounding disadvantage. They established team records
for field goals in a game and in a half (19). Orlando's
starters combined for 83 points, with Dos Santos tying a team
mark with five blocked shots.
While Maria Das Neves was 5-of-9 from the 3-point range, the
Shock shot only 40 percent (27-of-67).
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WNBA Scoreboard
RECAPS
Miami 69
Portland 62
Orlando 88
Detroit 78
Phoenix 86
Utah 76
New York 78
Seattle 55
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