Cash’s 18 points lead Storm to 66-55 victory over Monarchs

SEATTLE — Swin Cash matched her season high with 18 points, leading the Seattle Storm to a 66-55 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Thursday night.

Lauren Jackson, who was limited to a season-low three points by San Antonio on Tuesday, added 11 for the Storm (8-4), who won their second straight and climbed into a tie with Minnesota for second place in the Western Conference.

Cash, who also had 18 on Tuesday, sparked a 10-0 first-quarter run with seven points. Seattle extended its home-court winning streak to 15 games, dating to June 2008. That includes a 5-0 mark this season.

Jackson, who entered as the WNBA’s second-leading scorer at 20.5 points per game, opened the season with eight straight games of 20 or more points.

Scholonda Robinson and Rebekkah Brunson had 10 points apiece for the Monarchs (3-9), whose first two-game winning streak of the season was snapped.

The Storm scored 10 straight points after Robinson hit the first shot of the game. The Monarchs then missed their next six shots.

Sacramento closed within 19-15 at the outset of the second quarter, but Seattle responded with a 12-0 run, which Shannon Johnson and Jackson started with back-to-back 3-pointers.

Seattle led 38-28 at halftime and its lead slipped below double digits just once during the second half, when the Monarchs closed to 40-31 early in the third quarter. The Storm responded with an 11-2 run to take a 51-33 lead.

Cash, Jackson, Camille Little and Sue Bird pulled down five rebounds apiece for Seattle. Nicole Powell led the Monarchs with seven rebounds.

The Storm shot 42 percent (23 of 58) and limited Sacramento to 34 percent (22 of 62).