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Monday, Jul. 10 7:00pm ET
Melvin's 21 lead Cleveland | |||||
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BOX SCORE
CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Chasity Melvin scored six of her 21 points in a second-half run that blunted a challenge by the Charlotte Sting as the Cleveland Rockers took advantage of 27 free-throw attempts to pull out a 72-65 victory. Mery Andrade, starting for the injured Eva Nemcova, scored 11 points, dished out six assists and drew three charges. Suzie McConnell Serio also had 11 points. Rhonda Mapp led Charlotte, which has lost eight of its last nine games, with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Charlotte Smith scored 16 points. The Rockers, who swept the season series from Charlotte, hit 21-of-27 free throws, including 15-of-17 in the second half. The Sting were only 4-of-6 -- just 1-of-1 after halftime. After falling behind by 11 points, the Sting went on a 13-4 run to get within 46-44. Mapp sparked the run with seven points and capped it with a layup with 13:04 remaining. Melvin turned things right around, scoring six points in an 8-0 surge over the next 61 seconds that pushed Cleveland's lead back to double digits at 54-44. "We just play together and we don't give up," Melvin said. "I feel like I need to play strong. Things were going well for our inside game tonight. It wasn't only me. Rushia Brown played well. I just try to keep my mind on the game and don't let the fouls bother me." The Sting never got close again until the final minute, when they sliced the margin to five points. But it was too late. "I thought it was a good effort by our club," Charlotte coach T.R. Dunn said. "It's kind of hard to imagine and no disrespect to Cleveland, because they're a good team and they're very well coached, but I can't understand how we can have nearly twice as many points in the paint (38-20), and only go to the free throw line six times, I can't imagine how that can be." McConnell Serio helped the Rockers take their largest lead of the first half when she hit three straight 3-pointers in a 12-5 surge over the final four minutes that gave them a 42-31 bulge. "I just got hot there for a few minutes," she said. "We missed our first couple of shots tonight and then you start playing mind games with yourself. I felt like they were going in the minute I left the ball go." Dawn Staley had brought Charlotte within 30-26 with a 3-pointer, but McConnell Serio, just off the bench, drilled one from the left side. Smith hit a 3-pointer for the Sting, but McConnell Serio again found the range, this time from the right side, giving the Rockers a 36-29 lead. Staley tried another but came up short. McConnell Serio connected from above the top of the key, stretching the lead to 39-29. Tracy Reid made a layup for the Sting, and Charlotte focused its defense on McConnell Serio, but Andrade got free on the left baseline and drilled a 3-pointer for an 11-point cushion. The Rockers improved to 7-2 at Gund Arena in the opener of a five-game homestand. | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Cleveland 72 Charlotte 65
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