Monday, June 25, 2007
Mercury 90, Comets 85
PHOENIX — Penny Taylor scored 13 of her season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter to lead short-handed Phoenix over Houston. Phoenix (8-7) was without the injured Cappie Pondexter and the suspended Diana Taurasi, who combine to average 37.3 points per game. Belinda Snell scored 17 points, shooting 5-for-13 on 3-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds for Phoenix. Tangela Smith added 16 points. Crystal Smith had 16 of her 18 points in the first half for Houston (2-11), which had won two straight. Hamchetou Maiga-Ba added 16 points and six rebounds. The Mercury were 27-for-31 on free throws and held Tina Thompson to 10 points — nine below her average. Phoenix trailed 70-62 heading into the final quarter after getting outscored 26-9 in the third. However, the Mercury scored the first 15 points of the fourth to take the lead for good. The Mercury led by as much as 20 in the first half, but Houston outscored Phoenix 15-3 to start the second half. The Mercury had 10 turnovers in the third quarter that led to nine Comets points. Taurasi, fourth in the league in scoring at 19.5 points per game, sat out the first of a two-game suspension handed down by the WNBA for inappropriate conduct toward game officials at the end of the Mercurys 87-84 loss to Detroit Friday night. Taurasi missed two 3-pointers in the final 13.9 seconds that would have tied the game Friday and then was called for an offensive foul with 4.5 seconds left. The former Connecticut star will also sit out the Mercurys next game, at Houston Saturday. Pondexter, who scores 17.8 points, sat out her third straight game with a strained left groin.
Fever 74, Liberty 63
NEW YORK — Tamika Catchings scored 18 points and Tamika Whitmore had 15 to lead Indiana over suddenly struggling New York. Tammy Sutton-Brown added 11 points and Anna DeForge 10 points to help the Fever (10-3) pull within a half-game of first-place Detroit in the Eastern Conference. Loree Moore scored 17 points, Cathrine Kraayeveld and Janel McCarville added 13 apiece, and Lisa Willis had 12 for New York (7-6). The Liberty lost for the sixth time in eight games after a franchise-best 5-0 start. Kraayeveld hit three free throws and had a fastbreak layup in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to cap a 9-0 run. Willis then hit a 3 and Moore had a layup to cut the deficit to 57-50 with 6:19 left. Willis hit another 3 and then a turnaround jumper that pulled the Liberty to 63-57 and energized the Madison Square Garden crowd with about 3 1/2 minutes to go. However, the Fever followed with a 7-1 run to pull away. Indiana opened the game with a 10-0 run and never trailed. Whitmore’s layup with 33 seconds left in the first quarter capped a 9-0 run and pushed the lead to 22-7. The Fever scored 11 straight points spanning halftime to take a 44-22 lead, their biggest of the game, on Whitmore’s jumper with 8:19 to go in the third quarter. The Liberty played without Erin Thorn and Shameka Christon. Thorn has a sprained left foot and is expected to miss a week, and Christon was sick. New York made 3 of 11 shots in the first quarter while committing 10 of their 15 first-half turnovers. Indiana led 38-22 at halftime while shooting 50 percent from the field (14 of 28).
Associated Press