Time listed below is
Eastern Daylight Time. The
Houston Comets became the first WNBA champions, riding the unstoppable
Cynthia Cooper and a suffocating defense to a 65–51 victory over the
New York Liberty. Cooper, the fledgling league's leading scorer who was named
Most Valuable Player earlier in the week, scored 14 of her 25 points in the pivotal second half, when the Comets had a 10–0 burst and held the Liberty scoreless for nearly 6½ minutes.
Tina Thompson added 18 points for the Comets, who turned Houston into "Clutch City" again. The city adopted that nickname during the two-year championship reign of the
NBA's Houston Rockets. Cooper also was named
Finals MVP as the sellout crowd of 16,285 saw the Comets come up with their best defensive effort of the season. Kym Hampton had 13 points and 13 rebounds and
Vickie Johnson added 12 points for the Liberty, who picked a bad time for one of their worst offensive displays. A meaningless basket with three seconds remaining by
Rebecca Lobo—who was limited to nine points—allowed New York to avoid its lowest point total of the season. Houston, which edged New York for the
Eastern Conference title and knocked off
Charlotte in the semifinals, finished the regular season 18–10. The Liberty, who advanced with a semifinal win at
Phoenix, were 17–11. ==Awards==