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  Sunday, Aug. 6 4:00pm ET
Comets top Griffith's 30 points, 19 boards
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- In a probable first-round playoff matchup, the three-time defending WNBA champions were too much for the league MVP.

Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Cooper had 18 points and six assists for Houston.

Sheryl Swoopes went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and finished with 25 points and five assists as the Houston Comets beat Sacramento 76-63 Sunday, ending the Monarchs' five-game winning streak.

Yolanda Griffith, last season's league MVP, had season highs of 30 points and 19 rebounds for Sacramento (20-11).

"I've seen a lot of outstanding performers in my career," Houston coach Van Chancellor said. "But that may have been as good as I've ever seen."

Griffith, who had 17 rebounds on three occasions this season, was the only Monarchs player with more than four rebounds and more than 11 points. Kedra Holland-Corn was Sacramento's only other player in double figures with 11 points.

That statistic said much about Houston's strategy coming into this game.

"Yolanda had a monster game," Swoopes said. "But coming in, we were trying not to let any other players get 25 or 35 points."

Griffith shot 60 percent from the floor, while her teammates hit only 25 percent of their shots. Ruthie Bolton-Holifield went just 1-for-10 from the field for two points.

"It is no disgrace to lose to Houston, they're obviously a great team," Sacramento coach Sonny Allen said. "But I thought we could have played better. We just missed so many easy shots and you just can't miss those shots against a good team."

Cynthia Cooper added 18 points and six assists, and Tina Thompson had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Houston (25-5).

The Monarchs are third in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Phoenix. One Sacramento win or a Mercury loss would give the Monarchs third place and a probable first-round matchup with Houston.

The Comets are two games behind first-place Los Angeles with two games to play.

Sacramento pulled within 55-51 with 9:07 to go when Griffith completed a three-point play. But the Monarchs didn't hit another field goal over the next 4:35.

Houston got four points from Cooper, a layup by Janeth Arcain, and a punctuating 3-pointer from Thompson to pull ahead, 62-51 with 5:51 left.

Swoopes scored 17 points in the first half as Houston took a 40-32 lead into the break. Griffith had 16 points and nine rebounds by halftime.
 


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Orlando 92
Detroit 63

Houston 76
Sacramento 63

Minnesota 80
Indiana 75

Cleveland 77
Washington 60

Miami 57
New York 41

Seattle 66
Portland 58

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 Sharyl Swoopes hits from 3-point range.
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