TULSA, OK— It’s been a good couple of games for Tulsa Shock rookie Odyssey Sims and third year veteran Glory Johnson.
The recently crowned Big 12 Player of the Year put in another 20+ point performance as the Shock (10-17) topped the Seattle Storm (9-19) 80-74 in front of a home crowd of 4,735 in the BOK Center on Tuesday night.
Glory Johnson extended her streak of double-doubles to 15 by scoring 19 points and nabbing a season-high 13 boards, and Skylar Diggins made Shock history with her 11 points pushing her past Deanna Nolan to become the highest single season points leader in franchise history, including the years that the Shock were based in Detroit.
Odyssey Sims, Tulsa Shock (Photo by Shane Bevel/NBAE via Getty Images)
Nolan scored 559 points in 2009, the Shock’s last season in Michigan before moving to Tulsa in 2010. Diggins has 564 points as of the end of Tuesday’s game with seven games remaining on the schedule.
Tuesday night was all about Sims once again. It was the 24-year old rookie from Baylor’s first back-to-back 20+ performance and her sixth overall 20+ game this season. Fellow rookie Vicki Baugh turned in an excellent performance off the Shock’s bench, with her eight points and six rebounds making a difference in the game’s final quarters.
The Storm had a lead early but they could not fit the boot on the neck securely enough to assume full command. The Shock changed the tempo and assumed the lead with 27 points in the third quarter, finishing that ten-minute frame with a 59-44 lead. In the fourth quarter Tulsa led by as much as eight points at one point in the fourth.
Overall, Tulsa head coach Fred Williams was pleased with his teams performance.
Shock Coach Fred Williams
“From the start it was another tough game.” Coach Williams said after the game. “I thought Vicki Baugh coming off the bench did a good job for, us stepping up in the fourth quarter making some key baskets and plays. And rebounding, I’m going to start calling Glory Miss Double-Double. I was really pleased with the balanced play of our perimeter as well.”
For the Storm, they were led by Sue Bird’s 15 points, and she added three assists and nabbed five rebounds. Crystal Langhorne put in 13 points, went six-for-eight from the field and led Seattle off the glass with six rebounds. Bird and Langhorne we joined by Camille Little (13) and Tanisha Wright (14) as their players who scored in double figures.
The win for Tulsa was their tenth of the 2014 season and along with the win over Chicago on Sunday afternoon it was the first back to back wins since the end of June when they defeated Chicago and Indiana on June 22nd and 25th.
The Shock’s next home game is on Thursday night when they tip off with Atlanta at 7pm in the BOK Center on what is being billed as “Health and Wellness Night” presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma. The concourse and elements during the game will be centered around fitness and well-being. Blaze the Braggin’ Blue Dragon and Volt the Fox will be on hand for the festivities and the first 1,500 fans through the door will receive a Blaze and Volt growth poster.
In addition, the Oklahoma Caring Van will be parked at the intersection of 3rd Street and Denver Avenue at the game from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. offering immunizations to eligible children up to 18 years old and BMI screenings for children from ages 2 to 18 at no charge. A limited number of complimentary tickets to the game are available to families who participate in the caring van clinic.