Katie Smith is taking charge on the court, and her energetic effort has helped move the Detroit Shock within a win of their second WNBA championship in three years.

Smith scored 22 points and the visiting Shock built a big lead in the first quarter, then hung on to beat the San Antonio Silver Stars, 69-61, last night and go up 2-0 in the WNBA finals.

Game 3 in the best-of-five series is tomorrow at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich.

"You want to find a way to win, whether it's pickup or a game here," Smith said. "You just try to stay aggressive. I just tried to stay in that attack mode."

Deanna Nolan and Kara Braxton added 12 points each for the Shock, who led 19-2 less than 6 minutes into the game.

Becky Hammon scored 24 points to lead San Antonio.

ROOKIE PARKER IS MVP

Candace Parker received the WNBA's most valuable player award yesterday, becoming the first player to win the award along with the rookie of the year honors. The Los Angeles star was unanimously selected rookie of the year.

Parker edged Connecticut's Lindsay Whalen and Seattle's Sue Bird in the MVP race.

GOLF

CHOI LEADS SAMSUNG

Na Yeon Choi of South Korea survived the changing wind and decreasing temperatures to shoot a 1-under 71 yesterday for a two-stroke lead over four players yesterday after two rounds of the Samsung World Championship at Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Choi is at 4-under 140.

Angela Stanford, boosted by a double-eagle at the par-5, 481-yard fourth hole, carded a 73 and is tied with defending champion Lorena Ochoa (73), Paula Creamer (74) and Song-Hee Kim (73) at 142.

OVERTON IN PGA LEAD

Jeff Overton shot a 3-under 69 in blustery conditions to take a one-shot lead over Tag Ridings in the Turning Stone Resort Championship at Verona, N.Y.

Overton is at 8-under 136. Ridings shot a 68 for 137.

Two weather delays totaling nearly an hour and a half left 26 players unable to finish the second round.

Hawai'i's Parker McLachlin, a Punahou alum, shot 75—148 and is on the bubble to make the cut.

TENNIS

VENUS IN GP SEMIS

Venus Williams beat third-seeded Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-2, yesterday at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a semifinal with Jelena Jankovic, who will be No. 1 in next week's rankings.

Jankovic rallied from a break down in each set to edge seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).

Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, seeded fourth, lost to 19-year-old Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-1. Azarenka will next play another Russian in Nadia Petrova, who, beat Li Na of China, 6-2, 6-3.

FERRER FALLS IN JAPAN

Fifth-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro upset top-seeded David Ferrer, 6-1, 7-5, yesterday to advance to the semifinals of the Japan Open in Tokyo.

Del Potro will play fourth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who beat Germany's Rainer Schuettler, 6-3, 6-2.

Second-seeded Andy Roddick cruised to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Viktor Troicki, and will face Tomas Berdych, who beat third-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, 6-0, 6-4.

SOCCER

CHING ON U.S ROSTER

All 11 starters from the United States' previous two World Cup qualifying victories, including Kamehameha Schools alum Brian Ching, were selected to the roster for the Americans' match next Saturday against Cuba in Washington, D.C.

A victory will send the Americans into the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

South Korea's Kim Wi-joong shot a 4-under 67 yesterday to take a one-stroke lead in the Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea, while American Anthony Kim followed his opening 64 with a 73 to drop three shots back.