Nicole Powell News

Rookie Brian Duensing won his third straigh4 decision in the Twins' 8-0 victory over the Athletics yesterday.

The No. 3 Stanford women's soccer team defeated No. 5 Notre Dame 2-0 in the Santa Clara Classic on Sunday.

Nicole Powell had 27 points and set Sacramento's single-season scoring record as the Monarchs cruised to an 88-66 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night in the season finale for both teams.

The Monarchs in last place. Doesn't seem possible. It's been what, seven years since they failed to make the WNBA playoffs? Four years since the championship parade down J Street? Four years since their last conference title? John Whisenant is not a patient man.

The season of Monarchs forward Nicole Powell will go down as one of the best in franchise history.

The Connecticut Sun and Sacramento Monarchs have made the playoffs for six straight seasons and met for the 2005 WNBA title.

Erika de Souza had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and Angel McCoughly added 26 points and 10 assists in the Atlanta Dream's 98-90 victory over the Sacramento Monarchson Friday night.

Tennis: Spain's Fernando Verdasco won the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Conn., beating American Sam Querrey , 6-4, 7-6 , in the final tune-up for the U.S. Open.

Rebekkah Brunson scored a career-high 32 points and had 13 rebounds, leading the Sacramento Monarchs over the slumping Connecticut Sun 90-70 Tuesday night at Arco Arena.

Sacramento Monarchs guard Kara Lawson will miss the remainder of the season due to right quadriceps tendinitis.

Nicole Powell had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Rebekkah Brunson scored the winning layup with 36 seconds left to help the Sacramento Monarchs beat the Indiana Fever 79-78 on Saturday night.

Kelly Miller scored 18 points for Minnesota and the Lynx made 16 3-pointers and hung on for a 100-95 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Friday night.

Courtney Paris is accustomed to being the center of attention. It's been that way since she began playing basketball with twin sister Ashley as a 10-year-old. Her prominence increased at Piedmont High, where she won two state titles, then at the University of Oklahoma, where she became the top rebounder in women's college basketball history and ...

Iziane Castro Marques scored a game-high 30 points, as the Atlanta Dream continued their march toward the playoffs with a 103-83 win over the Sacramento Monarchs.

MONARCHS AT DREAM When: 4:30 p.m. Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta. TV: WNBA LiveAccess on WNBA.com. Radio: KHTK .

Monarchs coach John Whisenant is downright giddy these days. The ordinarily poker-faced, straight-forward Oklahoman tried his darndest to suppress a smile after Saturday's 82-60 win over the Washington Mystics in front of an announced 7,067 fans at Arco Arena, but he just couldn't. "I'm proud of the progress we're making," he said.

There's a point in games when the Monarchs, who have the worst record in the WNBA, are supposed to fold.

Monarchs vs. Fever When: 7 p.m. Where: Arco Arena. TV: WNBA LiveAccess on wnba.com. Radio: KHTK .

The Monarchs opened the season with a slew of road games. The payoff was supposed to be closing the season with seven of 10 at Arco Arena.

The Sacramento Monarchs have been woeful all season away from home, but left their latest road contest with a convincing win over a playoff contender.