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Stricklen scores 19, Storm roll by Stars 88-67

By WTOP Staff

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Seattle Storm turned the raw emotion of a humiliating loss into the catalyst for a feel-good victory.

Shekinna Stricklen scored a season-high 19 points, and the Storm rolled to an 88-67 victory over the San Antonio Stars on Friday night.

Seattle led by as many as 21 points and held a double-digit lead throughout the second half for only its second win in five games.

The lopsided victory came two days after the Storm trailed by as many as 30 points in a 78-58 loss at Phoenix.

“Sometimes a loss like that really gets your attention,” Seattle coach Brian Agler said. “If we would have lost by a couple of points, we probably would have felt better coming out of there and we might not have addressed some issues that needed to be addressed. Taking a loss like that and they expose you on certain things, it got our attention.”

Agler told the Storm during a team meeting Thursday that they needed to return to their identity as a defensive-minded team, and they did so against the Stars.

Seattle forced 13 turnovers, which resulted in 19 points, and held San Antonio to 15 percent shooting in the third quarter.

“Historically speaking, we’ve been one of the better defensive teams,” Storm point guard Sue Bird said. “Defense is something that we thrive off of and we focus on. When we play good defense we want that to lead to offense.”

Crystal Langhorne scored 16 points, Bird added 14 and Camille Little 10 for Seattle (9-13), which won its second straight game in San Antonio.

“Coming off a loss, we were just coming in focused,” Stricklen said. “Just being ready to play and it just happened to them.”

Kayla McBride had 13 points to lead the Stars (11-10), and Danielle Robinson and Shameka Christon scored 10 points each.

Seattle struggled early against San Antonio’s defense, opening the game with 3-for-11 shooting.

“They do a good job of changing their defenses,” Agler said. “They’ll play man and then they’ll go to zone. They switch them up. We played them a couple of weeks ago at our place and lost in overtime and they did a really good job of sort of keeping us off track that way. We knew what we were facing coming in that we were going to see changing defenses.”

The Storm beat the pressure by pushing the tempo, closing the quarter by shooting 6 for 7 in a 9-2 run.

Stricklen raced down the court for a layup just before the buzzer to give Seattle a 20-19 lead. She hit a 19-foot jumper and had another fast-break layup as part of a 7-0 run to open the second quarter.

With their offense back in sync, the Storm turned up their defensive pressure, going on a 14-0 run bridging the first and second quarters to take a 27-19 lead.

Stricklen was 2 for 4 on 3s in the second quarter, scoring 12 points during the period in helping Seattle outscore San Antonio 27-12.

“I felt good,” Stricklen said. “I was just focused and just having fun and not thinking so much and just playing the game.”

Temeka Johnson’s 3-pointer extended the Storm’s lead to 32-23.

Seattle was 9 for 21 on 3s, including Stricklen’s 3-for-6 shooting.

“We just seemed a step behind everything,” Stars coach Dan Hughes said. “Makeable shots we turned into unmakeable shots. It was a tough night for the Stars, but you have to give the Storm credit. I thought they were very efficient, made shots, really hurt us on 3(-pointers).”

San Antonio was 2 for 13 in the third quarter.

Following Robinson’s 10-foot jumper at the 7:15 mark, the Stars did not score again in the third until Shenise Johnson’s 3-pointer with 37.9 seconds remaining.

San Antonio pulled within 61-73 on a four-point play off a foul committed against Christon under the basket on a 3-pointer by Jayne Appel. Seattle responded with a 9-2 run to close out the victory.

“We just have to get back on track,” Robinson said. “Obviously, we know how it feels when we do it right. We just have to remember that feeling and get back to it in Phoenix (on Sunday).”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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