Sam, Charlotte sting Storm

Sheri Sam scored 23 points to lead the Charlotte Sting past the Seattle Storm 86-72 Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., for their fourth straight win.

Sue Bird scored 19 points and Betty Lennox added 13 for the Storm (11-12), who committed 18 turnovers in their third straight loss. Seattle leading scorer Lauren Jackson, who missed Tuesday’s loss to Sacramento with plantar fasciitis in her left foot, had 11 points and five rebounds.

Sam, who started on Seattle’s 2004 WNBA championship team, made 8 of 17 shots and grabbed eight rebounds. Charlotte, which last won four straight in June 2004, committed only nine turnovers and made a season-high nine 3-pointers.

The Storm lost another starter early in the game when center Janel Burse injured her left shoulder during a collision with Charlotte’s Helen Darling. Burse did not return.

Monarchs 71, Liberty 62: At Sacramento, Calif., Nicole Powell scored eight of her 13 points in the first quarter to help Sacramento beat New York.

Comets 78, Lynx 55: At Houston, Sheryl Swoopes scored 24 points and Michelle Snow added 13 to help Houston defeat Minnesota, snapping a two-game losing streak and improving to 10-2 at home.

Sun 86, Sky 72: At Uncasville, Conn., Katie Douglas scored 19 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 17 to lead Connecticut to an easy win over last-place Chicago.