Bye Bye June

Originally Published: Jun 29, 2010 10:15 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma – Don’t be surprised if the Tulsa Shock players cringe when you mention the word “June”. It simply wasn’t a good month for the ladies in gold.

Tulsa lost to Connecticut by a dozen Tuesday night, dropping them to a league-worst 1-9 in the month of June and, worst yet, last place in the Western Conference.

After winning the first game of the month against Minnesota, the Shock has gone into a free fall. Tulsa’s current nine-game losing streak is the longest in the league this season and features some pretty dim numbers.

The Shock is getting outscored by over 15 points per game this month. They started the season 3-3, scoring 84 points per contest and frustrating teams on defense, but those days are gone. Oddly enough, the team’s confidence is not.

“It’s not like we’re going out there and getting blown out every game,” said Shock guard Scholanda Robinson. “We’re making improvements.”

Though it doesn’t show on the scoreboard, that is true. Tulsa continues to shoot well from the field and turn the ball over less. Against the Sun, head coach Nolan Richardson praised guards Natasha Lacy and Kiesha Brown for playing 42 combined minutes without turning the ball over once.

"I hate to say these are moral victories, but we've gotten better," guard Jennifer Lacy said after the loss to Connecticut. "We're getting progressively better every game. It's just about finding a way to put together 40 minutes, and I think after we do that we'll get over that hump."

Playing better or not, the wins just haven’t come in June.

“Everyone in the locker room is player their butt off,” said Robinson. “We’re right there. We just can’t get over that hump. To not come up with the win at the end of the game is the most frustrating thing.”

Maybe things will look up in July.

The Shock hosts the Washington Mystics on July 3rd, looking for its first win since June 4th. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.