Penny Taylor pounds 28 as Phoenix Mercury take down San Antonio Silver Stars 87-81 – WNBA Recap
Penny Taylor scored 16 of her game high 28 points in the last quarter as Phoenix Mercury rallied in the second half to earn their second consecutive win with an 87-81 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday night
at US Airways Center.
It was the third consecutive defeat for Silver Stars, who have now dropped to fourth and last playoff spot in the Western Conference. Mercury, on the other hand, are now two games ahead of the Silver Stars in the race for home-court
advantage in the first round of the postseason.
“They did everything, they gave all they had,” Mercury coach Corey Gaines said post game. “It was a big win for us; San Antonio is one of the best teams.”
Taylor also dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds on the night. The 30-year-old forward shot 7 for 14 from the field and a perfect 13 for 13 from free throw line.
Candice Dupree also recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Mercury, who have won four of their previous five game and are second in the West with a 15-10 record. Dupree went 7 for 12 from the floor and
6 for 8 from the line.
“It was a good game, we got off to a good start,” Dupree said. “I’m trying to play the way I’m used to; I crash the boards hard, try to put up some points.”
DeWanna Bonner also came off the bench with a double-double for Mercury. She pulled down a game best 11 rebounds and punctuated 13 points in the victory.
Becky Hammon led San Antonio with 22 points and 10 assists. The player also grabbed eight rebounds and ended with 8 for 16 from the field. Ruth Riley had 16 points and five rebounds while Scholanda Robinson finished with 15 points
and three rebounds in the loss. Sophia Young totalled 11 points and eight rebounds for the Silver Stars, who have lost seven of their previous 10 games.
Phoenix shot 43.8 percent (28 for 64) from the floor and 87.5 percent (28 for 32) from free throw line while San Antonio shot 42.9 (30 for 70 ) from the field and 68 percent (11 for 16 ) from the line. Mercury committed nine turnovers
as compared to 12 by the visiting team. They also outscored Silver Stars in fast break points 19-3 and points in the paint 46-28.
Seven players scored for San Antonio in the first quarter as they got off to solid start and held a 22-18 lead at the end of the quarter. Silver Stars stretched their lead to seven points, 41-34, with 01:48 to go in the second
quarter. Dupree however responded with two consecutive lay-ups as Mercury showed only four down, 41-38, at halftime.
Phoenix turned the screws after the break and limited San Antonio to just 15 points in the third quarter, converting their halftime deficit into a 61-56 lead.
Trailing by five points after three, the Silver Stars tied the game at 65 with 06:09 remaining in the game. Mercury pulled away after that and scored five unanswered points to make it 70-65 and never trailed for rest of the period.
Tags: