Phoenix Mercury 31 vs. New York Liberty 30: WNBA Game Halftime Analysis
On Tuesday night at US Airways Center, New York Liberty were leading by 5 points with 02:09 to go in the second quarter, but Phoenix Mercury scored six consecutive points to end first half with a 31-30 advantage.
Penny Taylor scored six points and grabbed five rebounds for Mercury, who are second in the Western Conference with a 15-10 record. Candice Dupree also punctuated six points and pulled down four rebounds while DeWanna Bonner came
off the bench with five points and five rebounds for Phoenix, who are looking for third consecutive victory
Nicole Powell led New York with seven points and two steals while Plenette Pierson had six points, four rebounds and three steals in the first half of the game. Centre Kia Vaughn and guard Cappie Pondexter chipped in with six points
each for Liberty, who are third in the Eastern Conference with a 15-12 record. Vaughn also stole the ball twice and pulled down two rebounds for Liberty.
First Quarter
Playing at home, Phoenix got off to a good start and carried a 6-2 lead early in the first quarter. New York however responded aggressively with 14 consecutive points and went ahead by 10 points, 16-6, with 02:03 to go in the opening
period. Ferdinand-Harris hit a jumper to cut Liberty’s lead to eight points, 16-8, but Powell also hit a jumper for New York and pushed the lead back to ten-point, 18-8, heading into the second frame.
Second Quarter
Mercury opened the second quarter with a 5-0 burst and trimmed their deficit to five, 18-13. Pierson’s jump shot stretched the lead to 20-13, but Bonner hit a pair of free throws to make it a five-point contest, 20-15. New York
however scored the next four points of the quarter and held a 24-15 lead.
With 05:06 remaining in the first half, Phoenix scored six unanswered points to cut the margin to 24-21. In the passage that followed, Liberty again managed to take their advantage to 30-25, but Phoenix went on a 6-0 run in the
last 1:43 and took a 31-30 lead at halftime.
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