The Detroit Shock completed their WNBA Finals sweep with a 76-60 Game 3 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars in Michigan on Sunday, collecting their third title in their four trips to the finals overall.
Katie Smith, Detroit's leading scorer in all three games and a gold medalist in the Beijing Olympics this summer, capped her finals MVP performance with 18 points and six rebounds.
After leaving behind in the first half 34-30, host Detroit clawed back to take the lead with two straight 3-pointer with 2:16 minutes to go.
Smith scored five straight points to usher in the celebration midway through the fourth quarter, giving Detroit a 12-point lead. With the crowd of 8,952 already roaring, Smith's next shot was from well behind the 3-point line, pushing the Shock's lead to 62-47 with five minutes to play.
"We wanted to come out and play. We felt like today was a Game 5," said Smith.
The Silver Stars, first-time participants in the WNBA Finals, did not lose a game against an Eastern Conference team all season, including two victories over the Shock. But they lost three in a row to Detroit, the first two at home, in the finals.
After a night of celebrating, Detroit are to date with the new mayor of Detroit Ken Cockrel, who will honor the team on Monday.
(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2008)