Fury ends Stealth's Pro Cup Reign

March 31, 2004
This had to be the best, hardest-fought basketball game of the entire season. In the end, it came down to the final minute of the game, and the Fury advanced to the Championship game with an 85 to 84 victory over the Houston Stealth. Houston's loss ends the Stealth's reign as two-time Pro Cup champs.

Again Tina Thompson blew away all other scorers with 38 points in addition to her 19 rebounds. Tamicha Jackson and Kym Hope were the only other Stealth players in double figures with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

For the Fury, Sheryl Swoopes and Anna DeForge were held to 21 apiece, thanks to the defense of the Stealth. Cheryl Ford had as many points as rebounds, with 19 in each category.

The game was extremely intense, with all the players giving their best. The Stealth took a 6 point lead early, then the Fury struggled to a 12 point lead and held the upper hand until the last 15 minutes in the game, when Tina Thompson tied the score at 57. With 5:12 left in the game, the Stealth took the lead again on a jumper from Tina, built the lead to 7, and held on until the last 5 seconds of the game, when the Fury took the lead and the game on a layup by Cheryl Ford.

If there was anything that could be called a deciding factor in this game, it was the abundance of foul shots made by the Fury in the first half - 19 to the Stealth's 3. Not to mention that little one point difference in the final score. That was definitely a deciding factor in the outcome of this game.

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