Full plate of offense for Nolan

Deanna Nolan was the last person to realize she had just entered the WNBA record books.

Nolan notched the fourth triple-double in league history with 11 points, a team-record 11 assists, and 10 rebounds yesterday, leading the Detroit Shock to a 78-67 victory over the Connecticut Sun in the season opener for both teams in Auburn Hills, Mich.

She had no idea what she accomplished until she was congratulated on the arena's public address system.

''When they said I had a triple-double, I was like, 'Who, me?' " Nolan said. ''I'm glad no one had told me I was close -- I might have started missing shots just to get enough rebounds."

Kara Braxton added 18 points in her WNBA debut, while Ayana Walker added 14 after scoring only 18 points in the 2004 season. Walker was starting in place of former UConn star Swin Cash, on the injured list recovering from a knee injury.

Connecticut's Taj McWilliams-Franklin led all scorers with 25 points, while Lindsay Whalen added 12 and Asjha Jones had 11.

''It wasn't an awful game, but we weren't very efficient offensively," Connecticut coach Mike Thibault said. ''We were sloppy. I'm disappointed."

Sparks 68, Storm 50 -- Lisa Leslie, new running mate Chamique Holdsclaw, and Los Angeles put a damper on host Seattle's championship celebration. Leslie scored 23 points and Holdsclaw added 16 points and 14 rebounds in her first game with Los Angeles as the Sparks beat Seattle.

Before the game, Seattle was presented with its 2004 WNBA championship rings and raised the first professional championship banner in the city since 1979.

But Los Angeles held the Storm to 23.7 percent shooting, the worst output in team history. Their previous low was 24.1 percent against Phoenix in 2001. Seattle's Lauren Jackson's streak of 84 games scoring in double figures ended. Jackson had 8 points and made just 3 of 15 shots. Betty Lennox led Seattle with 14 points.

Mystics 60, Sting 42 -- DeLisha Milton-Jones had 11 points and seven rebounds to lead visiting Washington past Charlotte in the season opener for both teams.

First-round draft pick Temeka Johnson added 10 points for the Mystics, while former Sting forward Charlotte Smith-Taylor scored 9 in her return to Charlotte, where she spent the past six seasons before leaving as a free agent.

Charlotte missed 19 of its first 21 shots from the field and committed 13 turnovers in the game's first 16 minutes. The Mystics held the Sting to 29 percent shooting overall and forced 25 turnovers. Sheri Sam, the Sting's big free agent acquisition, led Charlotte with 16 points, but made just five of her 16 shots.

Monarchs 77, Mercury 72 -- Nicole Powell and DeMya Walker each scored 13 points to lead Sacramento past host Phoenix. Yolanda Griffith had 11 points and Powell added six rebounds and six assists for Sacramento, which built a 12-point lead in the second half before the Mercury pulled within 3 in the final two minutes.

Diana Taurasi and Anna DeForge each had 20 points for the Mercury, but the pair missed 23 of 34 shots. Phoenix missed 10 of its first 13 attempts from the floor and shot 30 percent in the game.

Comets 78, Silver Stars 70 -- Sheryl Swoopes scored 26 points to lead visiting Houston to victory in San Antonio. Swoopes, the league MVP in 2000 and '02, shot 9 for 16 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and 6 for 7 from the line.

Marie Ferdinand led San Antonio with 24 points. She missed a 3-point try that would have cut Houston's lead to 3 points with 16 seconds remaining.