Connecticut Sun at Tulsa Shock

Liz Cambage and Glory Johnson power Shock over the Sun

Liz Cambage and Glory Johnson combined for 34 rebounds and 27 points, leading Tulsa to a 64-58 victory against Connecticut on Friday night.

Johnson had 14 points and 17 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Cambage added 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for her second double-double of the year.

With Johnson and Cambage leading the way, Tulsa held a 62-39 advantage on the boards. Of Tulsa's rebound total, 25 were offensive boards, with Cambage grabbing 10, while Johnson chipped in seven more.

"We really hit the glass hard," Tulsa head coach Gary Kloppenburg said. "Of our rebounds, 17 of them were offensive boards. That's unbelievable to do that. But then we had to have that many the way we were shooting."

The Shock were victorious despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the field (25 of 75), committing 24 turnovers that led to 20 points for the Sun.

Riquna Williams and Candice Wiggins added 10 points each for Tulsa (5-13).

Allison Hightower paced Connecticut (4-10) with 14 points. Tina Charles managed just seven points, but grabbed 12 rebounds. Kelsey Griffin contributed 10 points for the Sun.

With the game tied at 52, Nicole Powell drilled a 3-pointer with 4:24 to play, giving Tulsa a it would not relinquish.

Connecticut pulled to 57-56 with 3:02 to play on a drive by Griffin. But baskets by Angel Goodrich and Johnson, off an assist from Cambage, put Tulsa ahead 61-56 with 43 seconds remaining.

"We made some plays at times when we were struggling," Kloppenburg said. "Those plays got us over the hump. This was a satisfying win for us. We are getting better."

The loss spoiled the return of Connecticut guards Renee Montgomery and Tan White. Montgomery hadn't played since May 31 because of a sprained right ankle. White was out since June 1 with a broken finger on her right hand.

The Shock would fall behind by as many as four points early in the final quarter before battling back to tie it 50-50 on Cambage's follow shot with 5:49 remaining.

Tulsa also committed 24 turnovers that led to 20 points for the Sun.

Like Tulsa, Connecticut also shot poorly from the field. The Sun connected on just 29 percent of its field goals (21 of 72).

With Tulsa's defense concentrating on Charles, who entered the game averaging a team-high 19.5 points, the Sun standout was only 2 of 13 from the field in finishing with seven points. That output matched her previous single-game low this season.

"They made it tough on Tina inside," Connecticut head coach Anne Donovan said. "We did not support her from the perimeter.

"Give Tulsa credit. They did a great job with all their hustle and the second and third shot attempts they were getting. Our goal was to take care of the 3-pointer. Our defense was pretty good, but we just gave them too many second and third opportunities to score."

Regular Season Series

Series tied 1-1