06.24Mercury Bounce Back and Chalk Up a Win Over Washington
The Mercury (5-7) bounced back from their worst loss in nearly six years, earning just their second road victory this season.
Diana Taurasi scored 31 points and Cappie Pondexter added 28 as the Mercury beat the Washington Mystics 98-90, halting the host’s winning streak at three on Tuesday night.
The Mercury looked nothing like champions in a 33-point loss at New York to start their five-game road trip Sunday. But the league’s highest scoring team, averaging 87 points, opened the third quarter with a 13-2 run and built a 16-point lead, 73-57, late in the third against Washington.
The Mystics’ leading scorer, Alana Beard, was limited to 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting. She was averaging 19.7 points per game.
Washington (5-8) was led by 37-year-old Taj McWilliams Franklin, who scored a career-high 31 points on 12 of 14 shooting, while Monique Currie scored 19 points for the Mystics.
McWilliams-Franklin’s jumper with 1:49 to play reduced Phoenix’s lead to 90-84, but the Mercury sank free throws down the stretch to ice the game. The Mercury lead the league in free throw shooting at 83 percent and hit 17 of 19 from the line Tuesday night.
The Mystics led the league in 3-point shooting percentage, 39 percent, but hit just five of 20 from behind the arc.
Taurasi hit 11 of 15 shots, including 4-for-5 on 3-point attempts, and sank all five of her free throws. She also led Phoenix with eight rebounds and six assists. Tangela Smith scored 14 points for the Mercury. Pondexter was 10-for-18 from the field.
In five previous road games this season, Phoenix had averaged 38 percent from the field. But the Mercury hit 54 percent of their shots Tuesday.
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