Brittney Griner collected 23 factors and 7 rebounds to gas the Phoenix Mercury to a 96-87 street win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday.
Kahleah Copper provided 22 factors and 7 rebounds and Diana Taurasi added 18 factors for the Mercury (13-12), who snapped a two-game skid.
Natasha Cloud paired 12 factors with 10 assists for Phoenix and completed one rebound shy of a triple-double in her first sport in Washington since leaving in free company.
Myisha Hines-Allen’s 18 factors and 12 rebounds led the Mystics (6-19), who misplaced their second straight sport. Julie Vanloo scored 17 factors, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had 15 and Ariel Atkins added 14.
The Mercury scored the ultimate 13 factors of the third quarter to enter the fourth up with a 71-63 lead.
Washington led 57-49 with 7:12 left within the third after Vanloo’s third 3-pointer of the half capped an 8-0 Mystics run. Phoenix chipped away till Copper’s three-point play pushed the Mercury forward 64-63 with 1:34 left. Sophie Cunningham provided six factors over Phoenix’s run, together with her 3-pointer that sparked the surge on the 2:44 mark.
Washington closed to 74-72 within the fourth quarter on Stefanie Dolson’s trey with 7:45 to play earlier than the guests pulled away. Copper scored the sport’s subsequent six factors to energy an 8-0 Mercury run, which Cloud capped with a layup that made it 82-72 with 5:09 left.
Phoenix engineered one last spurt after the Mystics pulled inside 89-85 on the 2:16 mark. Copper hit a jumper on the Mercury’s subsequent possession and Cunningham adopted with a 3-pointer to make it 94-85 with 1:16 to play.
Phoenix made 18 free throws in comparison with Washington’s 11 and held a 23-10 benefit in factors off turnovers.
The Mystics ended the second quarter on a 14-5 run to guide 46-44 at halftime.
Griner led all scorers with 15 factors within the opening half, whereas Taurasi made 3-of-3 treys and scored 12 factors. Atkins netted 9 to guide Washington.
Each groups relied on their frontcourt scoring all through the primary quarter. Griner scored 9 factors within the submit for the Mercury, whereas ahead Aaliyah Edwards netted six for the Mystics. Washington closed the interval on a 12-3 run to guide 19-17.
–Area Degree Media
