SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner had 20 points and 13 rebounds for her second
straight double-double, Diana Taurasi added 17 points and the Phoenix Mercury
beat the San Antonio Stars 78-72 on Friday night.
Phoenix controlled the first half and led 44-34 at the break behind Griner’s 13
points. San Antonio went on a 10-2 run at the start of the third quarter to pull
to 46-44 but the Stars went scoreless for the next two-plus minutes.
Leilani Mitchell sank an open 3-pointer from the corner with 51 seconds left for
a 78-70 lead and she finished with 14 points for Phoenix (2-1). Danielle
Robinson scored 12 points with five assists against her former team.
Taurasi was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line and Griner equaled her 2016
double-double total.
Second-year player Isabelle Harrison scored a career-high 16 points for San
Antonio (0-3). Kayla McBride added 14 points in her season debut after finishing
play in the Turkish League. Top pick Kelsey Plum and Moriah Jefferson did not
play for the Stars.
Phoenix scored the first seven points, pushed it to 15-6 and led 25-13 after the
first quarter. The Stars were just 4-of-19 shooting (21 percent) in the quarter.
