Sep 4, 2007, 1:14 GMT
Detroit, MI - Deanna Nolan went 7-of-9 from three-point range and poured in a franchise-playoff record 30 points and the Detroit Shock crushed the Indiana Fever, 81-65, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference championship to advance to the WNBA Finals.
Swin Cash scored 12 points and Cheryl Ford contributed 15 rebounds for the defending WNBA champion Shock, who will be looking for their second straight title and third in five years when they take on Western Conference champion Phoenix on Wednesday.
Tammy Sutton-Brown had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Tully Bevilaqua added 14 points for the Fever, who held a large first quarter lead but were dealt a blow by the loss of All-Star Tamika Catchings. Catchings scored just seven points before leaving the game in the second quarter with a strained right Achilles' tendon.
Indiana raced out to a 16-3, but Detroit scored the final seven points of the first quarter to cut its deficit down to 20-14.
A Sheri Sam layup pushed the Fever's advantage up to 26-16 early in the second quarter before the Shock closed the first half out on a 19-4 run to take a 35-30 advantage into the locker room.
A Sutton-Brown free throw brought Indiana within 44-43 with 3 1/3 minutes left in the third quarter, but Detroit reeled off nine straight points and carried a 57-47 lead into the final quarter. From there, the Shock put things away early in the fourth with a 12-3 run, capped by a Katie Smith trey that quickly made it 69-50.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story