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Monday, Jul. 10 7:00pm ET
Askamp's double-double powers Sol | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
MIAMI (Ticker) -- The lowest-scoring team in the WNBA found a team it could drag down to its own level. Marlies Askamp had a season-high 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Miami Sol stifled the Seattle Storm, 59-42, in a battle of offensively challenged teams. In 32 minutes, Askamp appeared to be the only player on the floor who could consistently put the ball in the basket. She was 4-of-6 from the floor and knocked down 13-of-18 free throws, leading the Sol to a 38-of-55 performance at the line. Askamp also gathered a career-best 10 offensive rebounds. "Overall, I think the most important thing is that we won," she said. "The first half, we looked terrible on the offensive end. In the second half, we got back into the game and finished a few shots. Shooting six free throws in the beginning really helped me build up my confidence. If you keep running, make some points and get offensive rebounds, it helps you get back in the game." Miami entered the contest last in the league in scoring (56.8) and shooting percentage (37.5), with Seattle next-to-last in both categories at 57.9 and 38.7, respectively. Tonight, the Sol shot a dismal 24 percent (10-of-41) but limited the Storm to 30 percent (13-of-43) and outscored them by 23 points at the line. "We struggled at the offensive end," Miami coach Ron Rothstein said. "Rebounding and defense gave us a chance. Marlies has been coming on lately. She had a stretch this year where she really struggled. I told her that she needs to play great every night, and tonight she listened." Askamp was the only starter on either team in double figures as the Sol clung to an 18-17 lead at halftime despite making only three baskets over the first 20 minutes. Stacey Lovelace scored 11 points off the bench for Seattle, which has lost 11 of its last 12 games and has failed to score as many as 60 points in five of its last seven contests. "You're not going to win any ballgame, anytime, anywhere, if you allow 55 free-throw attempts," Seattle coach Lin Dunn said. "That's the way they won the ballgame. That's it, bottom line. Both teams don't have enough weapons or firepower, so we knew that it would be a defensive struggle." Miami failed to reach 60 points for the 15th time this season. Askamp gave the Sol their one-point halftime lead by making a free throw with 1:38 remaining. She made a layup, a 15-footer and two free throws to stretch the advantage to 28-21 with 16:02 to play. Rookie Robin Threatt cut the deficit to 29-26 on a 14-footer with 11:28 remaining. But Askamp made a layup and scored nine points down the stretch as the Sol held on and pulled away with a 14-1 run to end the contest. The victory margin was the largest for Miami in its short history, while the game established a league record for fewest field goals. Seattle's 13 baskets were the second-lowest total in WNBA annals. | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Cleveland 72 Charlotte 65
Miami 59
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