Forcing Game 5 in Israel

Tanisha Wright and Raanana Hertzliya are headed to a Game 5 in their first-round playoff series with a convincing 75-64 win Monday over Ramat Hen. Raanana Hertzliya becomes the first team ever to force a fifth game after falling behind in the series 2-0.

"We feel the same way as we did before Game 3 and 4," Wright told Safsal. "We feel like our backs are against the wall and we have one chance to win and move on. Same approach, same focus, and same intensity. Obviously it doesn’t matter what happened in the last two games."

Wright had 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds. Houston's Mistie Williams led Raanana with 28 points, shooting 12-of-19.

Elsewhere ...

- The USA Basketball Senior Women's National Team - including Storm forward Swin Cash - gathered in Chicago yesterday for three days of training. Then it's off to China for the The April 19-26 Good Luck Beijing Tournament, held at Wukesong Arena, site of the 2008 Olympic basketball competition. The U.S. will face 2006 World Champion Australia, host China, Cuba, New Zealand and South Korea in the tournament. While neither Austrlia nor the U.S. will be at full strength because of international commitments, this should be a good tune-up for the Olympics.

- While googling, I found that Sheryl Swoopes gave a speech at Jackson State University's Oman Arena last Thursday. Here's an interview in the Jackson Sun and the paper's recap of the appearance. Swoopes' message was about the importance of education.

"Not very many people get the opportunity to go to the next level and be a professional athlete," she said. "The thing I'm most proud of is my degree. I don't just have to settle for the minimum wage. I have an education. I have a degree. I can go get a job with the best of them."

- Some follow-up on the Storm's selections in last week's WNBA Draft. The Joliet Herald News has Allie Quigley's reaction to coming to Seattle, while The GW Hatchet wrote about the Storm picking Kimberly Beck.