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Powell upstages Jackson as Monarchs hold off Storm

Aug 1, 2007 - 4:40 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Lauren Jackson may have came away with impressive numbers, but the Sacramento Monarchs got the most important stat.

Nicole Powell scored 10 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Monarchs held on for a 78-74 triumph over the Seattle Storm in the opener of a home-and-home series on Tuesday.

Yolanda Griffith had 13 points and eight boards and fellow All-Star Kara Lawson added 10 off the bench for Sacramento, which has won three of four games overall.

The 2003 MVP, Jackson finished with 30 points, eight boards and seven blocks as she remains the leading candidate for top honors this season.

In the decisive quarter, Sue Bird drained two 3-pointers from the left corner, Jackson split a pair of free throws and Betty Lennox scored on a layup in a 12-2 run to help the Storm pull within 69-68 at the 2:11 mark.

Powell's shot from the arc on the right wing gave the Monarchs a 74-70 advantage with 1:01 to go. But Jackson answered with a turnaround jumper three seconds later.

Seattle had a chance to tie after Lennox's steal, but Bird misfired on a floater in the lane and Powell sank four foul shots down the stretch to seal the win.

Sacramento created some distance in the third by opening with an 11-3 run, capped by Griffith's jumper with 6:07 remaining for a 54-42 advantage.

The loss was a disappointing start to the week for Jackson, who earned her second straight Western Conference Player of the Week award earlier. She averaged 34.3 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field.

It was Jackson's fourth time recording the honor this season, tying Los Angeles Sparks superstar Lisa Leslie for the WNBA's all-time single-season mark.

On July 27, Jackson became the fastest (209 games) and youngest (26 years) player in league history to record 4,000 career points and tied the WNBA record for the most points in a game with her 47-point outburst just three days earlier.