StingRays Are Stung by Quest

After losing to the Columbus Quest for the third consecutive time, 79-63, and falling to .500 for the first time this season, the StingRays walked disconsolately off the Pyramid court Sunday, looking like a team that feels its season slipping away.

Columbus, the defending ABL champion and winner of 11 of its last 12 games, stymied Long Beach’s Yolanda Griffith. The Quest used a collapsing defense to hold her to a season-low nine points, just as it did last month when it limited her to 10 points.

The loss in front of 2,855 was the second in a row for the StingRays (8-8), who were blown out by Seattle, 85-61, Friday. The Quest improved to 13-3 and looked every bit the best team in the ABL, although Portland (12-6), which plays at the Pyramid Wednesday, might argue that point.

“It was just how our game at Seattle went Friday,” Long Beach Coach Maura McHugh said. “They collapsed on Yo [Griffith]. We had weakside people open and didn’t see them, and we were giving them pump fakes and throwing the ball into the low post for post people who were were not open.”

Griffith, three for nine from the floor with 13 rebounds, fouled out with 2:40 left. She was slowed by a shoulder she wrenched in the first half.

She attributed her team’s 0-3 record against the Quest to turnovers.

“The only way we’re going to beat this team is to not turn the ball over,” she said.

Long Beach had 23 turnovers, the Quest 15.

“This is our low point so far,” McHugh said. “We’re not playing well at all. The only way we get past this is if the players decide they’re tired of it, that this isn’t the kind of basketball they want to continue playing.

“I hope it’s a wake-up call.”

Columbus Coach Brian Agler said the defensive game plan was to keep Griffith from playing one-on-one basketball in the low post.

“We tried to get as much help on her as possible--she’s a great player, and you can’t let her go one-on-one on anyone. Long Beach helped us quite a bit by missing all those free throws.”

The StingRays were 13 for 22 from the line, many of the misses coming on the first half of one-and-ones.

Long Beach shot 42% from the floor, and as they did at Seattle, the StingRays missed numerous wide-open putbacks.

Meanwhile, losing league MVP Nikki McCray to the WNBA has not decreased Columbus’ point production.

Katie Smith, a 5-foot-11 former Ohio State All-American, finished with a game-high 23 points for the Quest.

“We’re playing better now than we were last year,” she said.

“We’ve got more people involved in the offense, we’re sharing the ball well and we’re getting good looks at the basket.”

ABL Notes

Player-coach Teresa Edwards scored 25 points to lead the Atlanta Glory to a 74-67 victory over the Portland Power in front of 4,142 at Atlanta. Portland was led by Natalie Williams, who had 20 points and 14 rebounds. . . . Adrienne Goodson scored eight of her 19 points in the third quarter as the Philadelphia Rage overcame the New England Blizzard, 95-76, before 2,135 at Philadelphia. Carolyn Jones led New England with 26 points and six rebounds.