Seattle Storm 43 vs. Phoenix Mercury 28 - WNBA Game Halftime Analysis
Sue Bird led all players with 17 points as Seattle Storm led Phoenix Mercury 43-28 at halftime on Tuesday night at US Airways Center.
Bird shot 6 for 9 from the field and 4 for 4 from free throw line while Katie Smith added eight points, pinning 2 of 3 shots from downtown, and grabbed two rebounds. Camille Little also had seven points, three rebounds and two
steals for Seattle till the break.
Diana Taurasi led Phoenix with 11 points, three rebounds and two assists. Candice Dupree posted eight points on a 4 for 7 from the floor while Penny Taylor chipped in with five points and two rebounds.
Storm shot 59.3 percent (16 for 27) from the field, 62.5 percent (5 for 8) from three-point range, and 85.7 percent (6 for 7) from free throw line. In comparison, Phoenix shot just 34.4 percent (11 for 32) from the floor, 14.3
percent (1 for 7) beyond the arc, and 100 percent (5 for 5) from the line. Seattle also dominated on the paint in the first half. They grabbed 18 rebounds while Mercury grabbed just nine.
First Quarter
Seattle opened the first quarter on a 7-0 run before Taurasi responded with a three-pointer to nip the initial surge. Bird then hit a pair of free throws to make it 9-3 for Storm, but Taurasi once again responded and hit a jumper
to trim the margin back to four points, 9-5, with 06:42 to go in the quarter.
In the period that followed, Seattle pulled away with a 12-2 run to push their lead to 14 points, 21-7. Phoenix however nudged back a bit and scored six consecutive points in the last 41 seconds, capped by Taurasi’s four-point
spurt, to trim Seattle’s lead to eight points, 21-13.
Second Quarter
Mercury managed to make it a six-point contest, 24-18, early in the second quarter. Storm however again broke away with 12 unanswered points to widen their lead to 18 points, 36-18, with 04:21 remaining in the first half.
Dupree hit a jumper and Taurasi pinned 2 free throws on the next plays to make it 36-22. By the time, the first half ended, Seattle led Mercury 43-28.
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