AUBURN HILLS, Mo., Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Deanna Nolan had 21 points and seven assists Thursday night as Detroit beat Connecticut, 70-59, in Game 1 of the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals.
Katie Smith had 17 points, five assists and five rebounds. Cheryl Ford added 11 points and a playoff-record 23 rebounds. And Plenette Pierson scored 11 points for the Shock, who continued their dominance against the Sun this year after winning all four games the teams played in the regular season.
Lindsay Whalen and Erin Phillips each scored 13 points, and Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 12 points and nine rebounds for the Sun, who will need to win the final two games of the series to advance to the finals for the third straight year.
Game Two is Saturday at Uncasville, Conn.
