Fowles scores 23, leads USA past WNBA All-Stars
UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Sylvia Fowles scored 13 of her 23 points in the third quarter, and the U.S. national team beat the WNBA All-Stars 99-72 on Saturday in this year's version of the league's midseason showcase.
Candice Dupree and Swin Cash had 13 points apiece, UConn senior Maya Moore added 12 and Angel McCoughtry 11 for the U.S. Fowles shot 9-for-11 from the field and grabbed 8 rebounds, earning the game's MVP award.
"Syl did a great job," U.S. and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird said. "She's such a dominant player - you saw it. She can get every rebound if she wants. She can score 20 points a night if she wants. It's a matter if she wants to that night. That's what we're trying to do, that's what coach (Geno) Auriemma is trying to do, trying to get her to be like that every game."
Katie Douglas had 15 points, Penny Taylor scored 12 and Sophia Young 10 for the All-Stars.
Fowles was dominant over the first 61/2 minutes of the second half, shooting 5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-4 from the free-throw line and grabbing 5 rebounds. The Chicago Sky center converted a layup with 3:38 to go in the third to make it 68-37, the U.S.'s biggest of the game.
The All-Stars tried to make a run in the fourth quarter. Young scored 6 points, Taylor had 5 and Lindsay Whalen 4 as the WNBA used a 17-6 run to pull to 81-61 with 6:12 remaining. But that was as close as it got.
"Obviously the game was well over at that point," Douglas said. "We just tried to put a little bit of energy and fun into the game."
Moore, the first college player to appear in such a game, scored 6 points in the final 41/2 minutes as the U.S. pulled away again. She finished 6-for-13 from the field - taking the most shots on her team - and also had 8 rebounds in 22 minutes.
"If you line up all our players and say, 'Pick the one who's in college,' you would never figure it out," Auriemma said. "She blends in. She plays like them. She handles herself like them."
Moore drew some of the loudest cheers from the crowd for the game, which also included five former UConn players on the U.S. team that was led by Huskies coach Auriemma.
The U.S. shot 56 percent from the field (42-for-75), outrebounded the All-Stars 39-30 and had 32 assists. The WNBA shot 37 percent (26-for-70) and finished with 11 assists.
"The fact we had 32 assists ... is just an incredible number," Auriemma said. "To be able to spread the ball around like that, share, make the extra pass, all the things you would want to see a team do."
Young made 2 free throws, Michelle Snow had a layup, and Monique Currie made 1 free throw to help the All-Stars close to 33-26 with 6:18 left in the second quarter.
The U.S. then closed out the half with a 16-2 run. McCoughtry hit a 3-pointer to cap an 8-point surge that gave the U.S. a 41-26 lead with 3:27 remaining.
"Obviously (we) played against the best team in the world today," All-Stars coach Brian Agler said. "The game got away from us there a couple of times. ... We did our mission of getting out of here with no injuries, get these players back to their teams."