North Carolina State University Athletics
Week 10: WNBA Stars Experience Ups and Downs
8/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Aug. 5, 2002
NC State's four former women's hoopsters experienced a mixed bag in the league's 10th week of the season. Andrea Stinson and the Charlotte Sting lost a game at the horn, while the Cleveland Rockers and Chasity Melvin managed to pull one out at the end of their game the same evening. At the other end of the competitive spectrum, Houston's Tynesha Lewis was on hand for the Comets' 40-point demolition of the Portland Fire on Tuesday.
Lewis played only eight minutes in the 89-59 thrashing of Portland, but hit the only shot she took and grabbed two defensive rebounds in the victory. Lewis did not see action in Saturday's 69-62 victory over the Orlando Miracle.
For Charlotte, the week began on a down note as the Sting fell to the Miracle in Orlando 65-63 on Thursday. On a positive note, Stinson scored 12 points in 30 minutes of action on five-for-nine shooting, including two-for-two from the three-point line. The shooting guard also grabbed three rebounds and notched three steals in the loss. Former NC State star Summer Erb had an efficient seven points on a perfect three-for-three from the field in eight minutes of action.
Things didn't get any better for the Sting on Saturday when Charlotte lost 69-48 to the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis. Stinson scored seven points in 25 minutes, while Erb had two points in 10 minutes.
If that wasn't enough, the New York Liberty handed Charlotte its fifth consecutive loss of the season, 71-58 in the Charlotte Coliseum. Stinson suffered through a horrid shooting night, but did manage a team-high 16 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes of action. Erb contributed three points and two rebounds in eight minutes.
Melvin and the Rockers got off to a strong start by edging Detroit 68-66 in Detroit, also on Thursday. Melvin posted a game-high 20 points on 9-16 shooting in 35 minutes of play.
Melvin put up big numbers again on Saturday when she scored 15 points and snared seven rebounds to go with three steals in Detroit's 68-57 revenge match against Cleveland on Saturday.
Lewis's Comets square off with Melvin's Rockers on the first day of action in Week 11 at 8:30 p.m. in Houston. Houston will then head to Los Angeles to face Lisa Leslie and the Sparks at 10:00 p.m. on ESPN2. On Saturday, the Comets will play host to the Sacramento Monarchs on NBC at 4:00 p.m.
The Sting will head on the road to face the last-place Shock at 7:30 in Detroit before continuing on to Minnesota for a game against the Lynx at 8:00 p.m. Charlotte concludes their week with a road contest against the New York Liberty at 4:00 p.m.
After Tuesday's game with Houston, Melvin and the Rockers head to Phoenix for a showdown with the Mercury at 10:00 p.m. On Friday, Cleveland will go to Miami for a game against the Sol at 8:00 p.m. before ending the week back in Cleveland for a home date with the Washington Mystics at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday.
