Huffing and Puffing

Originally Published: May 22, 2010 5:36 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma – They made it interesting, but the Tulsa Shock couldn’t find a way to battle all the way back and capture their first win of the season. The comeback fell just short, and San Antonio left the BOK Center with a nine-point win.

“We’re so close. We’re right there and just can’t come away with a ‘W’,” said Shock guard Scholanda Robinson.

The Shock’s second-straight late game meltdown prompted questions in the locker room about the team’s conditioning. Head coach Nolan Richardson’s up tempo style seems to have players wearing down in the third and fourth quarters.

“I mean, we run constantly, constantly, constantly, and sometimes we burn out,” said Shock center Kara Braxton. “Going along with his program more and more, I think we’ll be fine down the road.”

Shock forward Plenette Pierson even offered her thoughts to cyberspace. She tweeted this week, "we all trying to learn his system...training camp isn't enuff time to learn this system".

Tulsa’s nine-point loss to San Antonio dropped the team to 0-2 this season. The team was outscored 42-33 in the second half against the Silver Stars after heading to the locker room tied at the break.

“Coming out of the dressing room in the third quarter, we’ve not played with the kind of aggressiveness that we need to play with,” said Richardson. “As I told our players, that sometimes comes with conditioning, to push yourself a little bit harder in our workouts so that when you come to the second half of a ballgame, you’re stronger than you were in the first.”

The Shock was tied against Minnesota on opening night 36-36 at halftime before getting outscored by eight in the third quarter. The trend is something players and coaches don’t know when will end.

“I wish I could say five or six games, but I really can’t tell you that,” Richardson said. “I know we are getting better in areas that we were so bad in.”

Despite the conditioning struggles and slow adjustment to his style of play, Richardson continues to preach patience.

“That’s hard to teach right now,” he said. “I think at times the young ladies are seeing it. They’re seeing it in practice, but it takes a while to buy in that type of basketball.”

The Shock hopes to start a new trend Sunday against the Lynx on the road. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.