Comets Have No Trouble Extinguishing Fire

Janeth Arcain scored 18 points as the three-time defending champion Houston Comets routed the expansion Portland Fire, 79-39, Friday night before 11,543 at Houston.

Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson each added 16 points to help Houston improve its league-best record to 14-2. The Comets have won five in a row.

Alisa Burras led the Fire with nine points. The 39-point total for Portland was the lowest ever by a Comets’ opponent and the lowest in the league this season.

Portland led, 20-13, with 11:25 to go in the first half, but Houston took the lead with a 20-0 run and led, 37-22, at halftime.

New York 72, Indiana 70--Tari Phillips made a layup with 1.5 seconds remaining to cap a 30-point performance for the Liberty before 11,953 at New York.

After Indiana’s Stephanie McCarty threw an inbounds pass out of bounds, the Liberty worked the ball into Phillips, who made a finger-roll layup to finish 13 of 19 from the field.

Sacramento 85, Utah 62--Ruthie Bolton-Holifield scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half as the Monarchs beat the Starzz before 6,763 at Sacramento.

Natalie Williams, the WNBA’s leading rebounder, had 19 points and eight rebounds for Utah, which has lost three of four games.

Phoenix 66, Washington 57--Brandy Reed scored 25 points and the Mercury held the Mystics to eight points in the final 16 minutes before 16,485 at Washington.

Phoenix improved to 6-0 overall against Washington, with Reed scoring eight points during a 12-0 run that gave the Mercury the lead for good midway through the second half.

Orlando 66, Miami 63--Taj McWilliams scored 16 of her 17 points in the second half, and Adrienne Johnson scored five points in the final two minutes before 9,849 at Miami.

The victory was Orlando’s fourth in five games.

Minnesota 65, Seattle 53--Katie Smith scored 19 points and Betty Lennox 18 as the Lynx beat the Storm before 9,131 at Seattle.

Smith, the WNBA’s leading scorer, was five of 10 from the field and made all seven of her free-throw attempts.

Lennox, the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft, scored 16 points in the first half, including four three-point baskets, to help Minnesota build a 32-23 lead.