Ever since the Seattle Storm traded to acquire Katie Smith this off-season, there have been questions about whether she was too battered, old, or accustomed to starting to be effective.
She has maintained that she is willing to take on whatever role the team needs and in the second quarter she gave Storm fans a nice glimpse into what she offers as the Storm mounted a 40-35 lead while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.
Smith gave the Storm a scorer off the bench that could work off the ball to find gaps in the zone or float to open spots for shots without dominating the ball. In a game such as this with plenty of first game jitters to shake off for both teams, Smith's poise and presence of mind on the court was a huge boost in the second quarter as the Storm began to gain some separation. She gives the team another veteran ball handler next to Bird to help run the offense.
Smith added another three from the wing and a jumper in the second quarter to finish the half with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting and three rebounds. Camille Little scored six of her 10 points in the second quarter.
For the Mercury, this game is moving at the pace they typically like, but the Storm are finishing the fast breaks better with a 9 to 6 fast break points advantage. Diana Taurasi leads all scorers with 14 points and Penny Taylor ended the half with nine.