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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Facing elimination, the Cleveland Rockers
settled matters early.
|  | | Chasity Melvin of the Rockers, left, shoots against the Miracle's Cintia dos Santos in the second half at Gund Arena in Cleveland on Sunday. Melvin had a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) for the Rockers. |
The Rockers held the Orlando Miracle to one basket over the
first 13 minutes and allowed a league playoff record-low 15
points in the first half Sunday on the way to a 63-54 victory that
evened the first-round series at one game apiece.
Game Three is here Tuesday.
"I really thought that in the first half we really went out and
put our game plan into effect probably as well as we have played
a first half all year," Cleveland coach Dan Hughes said.
Merlakia Jones and Helen Darling scored 15 points apiece for the
Rockers, who broke out to a 22-3 lead before the Miracle woke up.
Chasity Melvin added 12 points and 10 rebounds and Rushia Brown
finished with 12 and nine for the Rockers.
"I think it goes back to a team effort," Jones said. "Sometimes
I get the ball in my hand and I want to try to make plays for
the team, and I did come up with some big shots. My teammates
got me the ball today and I was able to knock them down. We
aren't going home yet."
Darling nailed a 3-pointer with 2:06 left that gave Cleveland
its biggest lead, 34-9. The Rockers led 36-15 at the half.
Orlando's Taj McWilliams scored nine of her 15 points in the
first half, when she seemed to be the only Miracle player ready
for the game. She shot 4-for-10 in the first 20 minutes while
her teammates went 2-for-17.
Adrienne Johnson led Orlando with 17 points, but 15 came in the
second half when the game already was decided. Shannon Johnson
contributed five points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
The Rockers not only outscored the Miracle but also outplayed them
in every aspect in the first half. Cleveland outrebounded
Orlando 26-8, including an 8-1 advantage on the offensive glass. The Rockers scored 12 points on second-chance baskets.
Cleveland set playoff records for most rebounds in the first
half with 26 and largest halftime lead.
"Cleveland was a much different team here than they were in
Orlando, especially in the first half," Orlando coach Carolyn
Peck said. "They started out the game wide open, running the
floor very well. They crashed the boards hard and it was tough
on us to score early in the game."
The Miracle opened the second half with a 10-0 run, getting
within 36-25 on Cintia dos Santos' running hook with 15:14 left. But Jones put back an offensive rebound and pulled up for a
jumper, boosting the lead to 40-25.
"After Orlando went on a 10-0 run to open the second half, I
thought, 'We have come too far to lose this one,'" Darling said. "We tried to come out for the second half with the same
mentality, but we were just a step too slow."
The closest Orlando got was 52-46 when Carla McGhee capped a 7-0
run with a three-point play with 2:39 to go. Again Jones
responded with back-to-back jumpers.
"The second half we knew they were going to make a run and I
was really pleased to see us hang tight," Hughes said. "It sets
up a pretty good third game for Tuesday."
The Miracle have lost nine straight on the road and nine of 12
overall. The Rockers won their fifth straight game at Gund
Arena, where they went 13-3 during the regular season.
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ALSO SEE
WNBA Scoreboard
Taj makes all; Miracle win opener with Rockers
RECAPS
Cleveland 63
Orlando 54
Los Angeles 101
Phoenix 76
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