Houston Comets Win Fourth WNBA Title

H O U S T O N, Aug. 26, 2000 -- Sheryl Swoopes scored 31 points and CynthiaCooper had 25 in her final game as the Houston Comets rallied tobeat the New York Liberty 79-73 in overtime today for theirfourth straight WNBA championship.

Swoopes, the league’s MVP and leading scorer this season, andthree-time scoring champion Cooper took charge of the game in thesecond half. They combined for 32 of the Comets’ final 36 points.

Cooper, who said she’d retire after the playoffs, hit a3-pointer with 21 seconds to play that tied the game at 64-64 andforced overtime. Swoopes’ 31 points set a career playoff high.

Tina Thompson had 11 points and eight rebounds, and her two freethrows with 27.6 seconds left gave the Comets a 75-70 lead.

Swoopes got the final two points for the Comets, and Coopergrabbed the final rebound and kept the ball as time ran out.

Liberty Force Overtime, Then Fall

The Liberty, who have lost the title to the Comets in three ofthe WNBA’s four seasons, overcame a nine-point deficit with 13:25to play to force overtime.

Tari Phillips led the Liberty with 17 of her 20 points in thesecond half, including a basket with 31 seconds left in regulationfor a 64-61 lead. Cooper’s 3-pointer then tied the game.

Tamika Whitmore added 15 points and Crystal Robinson had 13points. New York’s final lead came with 2:15 left in overtime.

The Comets overcame New York’s 19-6 first half run for a 27-25halftime lead. Houston went ahead 44-35 with 13:25 left, butPhillips helped the Liberty take a 49-48 lead with 6:20 to play.

After taking a 12-2 lead to start the game, the Comets lost thelead — and Swoopes — briefly in the first half.

New York hit only one of its first seven shots and had fourturnovers in the first 3:40 before going on a 19-6 run that gave itthe lead at 21-18 with 5:48 to play on a 3-pointer by CrystalRobinson, who had eight points in the run.

Seconds later, Swoopes crumpled to the floor after stepping onPhillips and twisting her left ankle.

Swoopes left briefly but returned and hit a 3-point basket with52 second left to give her 11 points and the Comets a 27-25halftime lead.

Place in History

Houston lost only two regular season home games this season andnow have won 11 of 12 playoff games at Compaq Center. The Liberty’s68-67 victory in Game 2 of last year’s finals is the Comets’ onlyplayoff home loss.

The Comets took a place in pro playoff history. The only NBAteam to win at least four in a row were the Boston Celtics, who woneight in a row, ending in 1966. The last major sport pro team towin four in a row was the NHL’s New York Islanders from 1980-83.

The Comets finished the regular season with a five-game winningstreak and beat Sacramento 2-0 in the first round. They eliminatedthe Los Angeles Sparks 2-0 in the Western Conference finals.

New York reached the finals by beating Cleveland 2-1 for theEastern Conference title, their second straight.