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t h e S e a h a w k / s E p t e m b e r 1 3 , 2 D D 1 Charlotte Sting falls in WNBA Finals Women’s golf wins the Eastern Conference Finals with back- 80-60 letdown against Sacramento in the Erica Harbatkin to-back wins at Madison Square Garden. playoffs. The Sparks swept the four-time WNBA “We had a great season,” Charlotte early tourney champion Houston Comets in Round 1 head coach Anne Donovan told the me­ before eliminating the second-seeded dia after the game, “and a of people From Staff Reports Two different teams; one series. Sacramento Monarchs with a 93-62 counted us out, didn’t expect us to get In a matchup of opposites, the Los Game 3 rout. here.” MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - UNC Angeles Sparks defeated the Charlotte “Last year, Swoopes got the MVP and Even though the Sting lost the cham­ Sting to claim the 2001 WNBA Cham­ Wilmington captured the Unlimited Po­ (Houston) blew us out by 25,” Sparks pionship, its season was a huge success pionship. tential/Bay Tree Invitational at the Bay head coach Michael Cooper said in a and turnaround from 2000, when the The Sparks were a red-hot team, a Tree Golf Plantation in Myrtle Beach, press conference after the championship team finished last in the Eastern Con­ team that kicked off the season with S.C, Sunday afternoon with a three- series. “This year, we went in and won. ference with an 8-24 record. nine straight wins and went on to finish round score of 314-303-299=916. Se­ That’s the difference between last year’s “It would have been so easy for (the 28-4. The Sting opened the season 1- nior Heather McMunn shared medallist team and this year’s team: we were men­ players) to just say, ‘New coach, too 10 before winning 17 of its last 21 honors with a 79-72-71=222. tally tough.” many new players, we’re 1.-10, it’s go­ games to secure the fourth seed in the UNCW held a two-stroke advantage They took two completely different ing to be another bad year,’ and just Eastern Conference. over East Carolina entering Sunday’s paths, but both led to the championship bomb,” Donovan said in an ESPN inter­ Two different teams; one scries. round and finished with a seven-stroke series. view. “But they refused to do that.” The Sparks had league MVP Lisa victory after ECU recorded a final Los Angeles swept the three-game The Sting, a team that won its final Leslie at center, averaging 22.3 points round 304. McMunn started the fi­ championship series, but not before a seven games of the regular season, sur­ in the playoffs to lead Los Angeles to brief scare in Game 1 when the Sting led prised everyone with its Cinderella nal round in third place, but carded a 71 its first ever league title. The leading 39-35 at the half. Charlotte maintained postseason run. on the final day to finish in a tie with scorers for the Sting were guards An­ its lead until midway through the second “This sort of turnaround doesn’t hap­ Jacksonville State’s Angie Green. drea Stinson and Dawn Staley, who av­ half, when the Sparks mounted a run to pen very often in sports,” WNBA presi­ Sophomore Courtney Pomeranz, 75- eraged 12.0 and 11.8 points in the play­ outscore the Sting 40-27 in the second dent Val Ackerman said in a press con­ 77-74=226, finished in a tie for sixth offs, respectively. half. ference before the championship series. place, while freshman Becky Berzonski Two different teams; one scries. Los Angeles toppled over the Sting in “It doesn’t happen very often in the sport came in 14th with a 79-76-77=232. The Sting defeated the highly touted Game 2, easily securing an 82-54 win. of basketball, and I think we will be The Seahawks return to action Sept. Cleveland Rockers in the first round, It was the Sparks’ 21" home victory this witnessing history over the next couple 29-30 at the Nittany Lion Invitational in then stunned the New York Liberty in year, with their only home loss being an of days.” State College, Pa. UHTID Information regarding tbe wbereaboats of 3 stolen composites. SUIIIIMWUI Contact: CunpbiU Dodd 910-233-7020