INDIANAPOLIS — Tully. Tully. Tully.
Almost everywhere around Indiana's capital city, former Storm guard Tully Bevilaqua is featured in various Fever marketing. The Australian native is on a billboard with All-Star forward Tamika Catchings. Bevilaqua is the lone face on pocket schedules. And she's captured with Catchings on the cover of the team's media guide.
"It tripped me out seeing this big ol' mug of mine," she said of first spotting the billboard off the interstate near Conseco Fieldhouse. "I knew they were using it for promotions, but I didn't know to what extent. But if they want to put my ugly [face] out there, go on then. Don't blame me for any car accidents."
Bevilaqua's visual prominence is indicative of how Indiana has bonded with its newest star since she left Seattle via free agency in 2004. She had just helped the Storm win a championship, stepping in for guard Sue Bird when she broke her nose in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series against Minnesota.
Bevilaqua, 33, had hoped to remain in Seattle, but she was getting offers to start elsewhere and Storm coach Anne Donovan said the team needed to get younger. Donovan also didn't want to pay Bevilaqua's reported $60,000 for the 2005 season to be a backup for Bird.
"I must admit when I made my decision to leave Seattle for Indy, I was upset," Bevilaqua said. "We just won a championship. But the transition has been just unbelievable. My teammates ... and the management have made me feel like family."
Bevilaqua, who won a WNBL Championship in Canberra, Australia, with Storm forward Lauren Jackson, has taken on a different role in Indiana. In addition to starting for the first time since she played for the defunct Portland Fire, she has been asked to score more.
Player of the game: Indiana forward Tamika Catchings was 0 for 5 from the field in the fourth quarter, but she made all six free-throw attempts to help her team pull from behind and win. She finished with 18 points and five assists.
Reserve of the game: Storm forward Barbara Turner helped hold Catchings to 1-for-8 shooting in the second half. The rookie was just as good offensively, making all four baskets for 12 points, and had a monster block against Tan White.
Digits: Seattle had eight free-throw attempts to Indiana's 20 in the second half.
Next: At Minnesota's Target Center, 5 p.m. Wednesday.
She's averaging 6.1 points on 47.2 percent shooting — her best since her rookie season in 1998. Last season, she was named to the WNBA's all-defense team as Indiana made the Eastern Conference finals.
"They appreciate that hustle and diving on the floor. I don't think they've seen anybody do all that crazy stuff before," said Bevilaqua, who finished with five points against the Storm on Sunday. "Physically I feel great and am learning things to get better each season. Sometimes I've been told I'm not being as offensively aggressive as I need to be. It's nice because it's something that I haven't experienced in my early days, especially with the players I still have around me."
Box score
|
|
| SEATTLE |
|
|
|
|
|
| min |
fgm-a |
ftm-a |
or-t |
a |
pf |
pts |
|
| Castro Marques |
13:29 |
0-3 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
| Jackson |
29:11 |
3-7 |
0-0 |
2-8 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
| Burse |
29:06 |
2-6 |
1-2 |
1-4 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
| Bird |
36:59 |
4-8 |
0-0 |
0-8 |
5 |
1 |
12 |
| Lennox |
30:50 |
8-16 |
2-2 |
1-2 |
0 |
5 |
20 |
| Wright |
18:44 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
0-1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
| Turner |
21:01 |
4-4 |
3-4 |
0-2 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
| Johnson |
12:00 |
1-3 |
1-2 |
0-1 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
| Gortman |
8:40 |
2-3 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| Totals |
|
24-51 |
7-10 |
5-27 |
17 |
27 |
62 |
Percentages: FG .471, FT .700.
Three-point goals: 7-15, .467 (Bird 4-5, Lennox 2-4, Turner 1-1, Gortman 0-1, Jackson 0-1, Wright 0-1, Castro Marques 0-2).
Team rebounds: 4. Team
Turnovers: 23 (23 PTS).
Blocked shots: 2 (Lennox, Turner).
Turnovers: 21 (Bird 5, Lennox 5, Wright 4, Jackson 3, Gortman 2, Burse, Johnson).
Steals: 4 (Bird, Jackson, Lennox, Wright).
|
|
| INDIANA |
|
|
|
|
|
| min |
fgm-a |
ftm-a |
or-t |
a |
pf |
pts |
|
| Catchings |
37:41 |
4-16 |
9-10 |
1-5 |
4 |
5 |
18 |
| Whitmore |
35:28 |
5-8 |
2-2 |
4-5 |
3 |
2 |
13 |
| Hoffman |
22:44 |
1-5 |
1-2 |
1-5 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
| DeForge |
29:36 |
4-10 |
5-6 |
1-6 |
1 |
1 |
14 |
| Bevilaqua |
31:08 |
2-4 |
1-2 |
0-2 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
| White |
19:16 |
2-6 |
2-2 |
0-1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
| Smith-Taylor |
6:09 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
| Atkinson |
17:58 |
3-5 |
1-2 |
3-7 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
| Totals |
|
22-57 |
21-26 |
11-32 |
16 |
17 |
69 |
Percentages: FG .386, FT .808.
Three-point goals: 4-13, .308 (Smith-Taylor 1-2, Whitmore 1-2, DeForge 1-3, Catchings 1-4, Bevilaqua 0-2).
Team rebounds: 7. Team
Turnovers: 16 (22 PTS).
Blocked shots: 2 (Catchings, Whitmore).
Turnovers: 15 (Bevilaqua 3, Hoffman 3, Whitmore 3, Atkinson 2, Catchings 2, Smith-Taylor, White).
Steals: 10 (Whitmore 5, Bevilaqua 2, Catchings 2, DeForge).
|
|
| Seattle |
12 |
15 |
21 |
14 — 62 |
| Indiana |
15 |
10 |
25 |
19 — 69 |
|
Attendance: 7,654 (8,829).
Time: 2:03.
Officials: Kurt Walker, Laura Morris, Clarke Stevens.
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