Danielle Adams and Becky Hammon lead as Silver Stars edge out Phoenix Mercury 82-81: WNBA Recap
On Tuesday night, San Antonio Silver Stars hosted the game against Phoenix Mercury here at AT&T Center. Phoenix kept San Antonio at bay in the first half; however Danielle Adams and Becky Hammon led a second half resurgence for
the Silver Stars. They scored 24 and 22 points respectively and led the hosts to a sensational 82-81win over Mercury.
Silver Stars, who rolled onto a 4 game winning streak, had 3 players in double scoring figures, including Hammon and Adams.
Becky stole the show with her awe inspiring performance. Early in the 3rd quarter, the Silver Stars were trailing by 13 points but she netted 17 points in the ensuing passage, including 7 in the last one and a half minute
of the game that placed San Antonio ahead for good.
San Antonio coach Dan Hughes lavished her with praise after the game;
“That's why she's the player that she is,'' Hughes said. ``Some players you kind of look at where they are during a game, but you never do that with Becky. She'll give us the best she has got. She is a heck of a player.''
Sophia Young came up with a double-double with 12 points and 14 boards as the Silver Stars recorded their 8th victory of this season.
For Mercury, DeWanna Bonner had a career night with 38 points and 8 boards, but she couldn’t help her team avoid a defeat, a second one in a row. Forward Charde Houston chipped in with 19 points.
“We played so hard,'' Houston said post game. ``I think our effort and energy is never questioned, but tonight, despite everything that happened, it came down to the last play. No matter how we fought, we came up short.''
Silver Stars opened their account with a 6-2 run but Phoenix rebutted with a huge 17-5 burst and claimed a 19-11 lead deep in the opening frame. San Antonio reeled off a 5-nothing burst to trim down the lead to 19-16, however
Bonner netted a pair from charity stripe that was followed by a layup for Phoenix, concluding the 1st frame at 23-16.
With 7:35 remaining in the 2nd frame, Phoenix were having a 26-18 advantage. The hosts pulled off a 5-0 run and narrowed the gap down to 26-23, but Mercury came up with a 9-2 run and claimed a double-digit 35-25 lead.
Perkins and Hammon sank a 3-pointer each and reduced the gap to 35-31 but at the dying moments of second, Houston served a trey for Mercury and capped off the opening half at 38-31.
Midway into the third, Phoenix were having a double-digit 52-42 lead, but a 9 nothing run by the Silver Stars reduced the deficit to just 1 point, 52-51. Mercury could add only 2 more points to make it 54-51 by the end of 3rd
stanza.
San Antonio opened the decisive frame with a 17-7 spurt and grabbed a 68-61 lead. Phoenix clawed that off using a 12-4 push and reclaimed the lead at 73-72.
What followed however 10-5 Silver Stars burst and with 2.4 clicks to go, San Antonio were having an 82-78 lead.
Bonner hit one from downtown right at the death and reduced the margin of defeat to 82-81.
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