Kahleah Copper poured in 32 points as the host Phoenix Mercury swamped the hapless Dallas Wings 100-84 on Wednesday afternoon in the final of four games between the teams this season.
The Mercury (12-10) won their third straight game and captured the season series 3-1.
Phoenix led by three points at halftime, by 14 after three periods and poured it on in the fourth, building a 94-70 cushion with just under six minutes to play.
Brittney Griner added 23 points for the Mercury, Natasha Cloud had 14 and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan 12 points. Diana Taurasi missed her second straight game with a foot injury.
Odyssey Sims and Natasha Howard scored 19 points each to lead Dallas (5-18), which has dropped five of its past six games and has just two wins since May 26. Teaira McCowan added 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Arike Ogunbowale had 13 point and 13 assists.
The first period featured three lead changes over the initial five minutes before the Wings ran off an 8-2 burst, capped by a cutting layup by Howard, to go up 20-13 at the 3:13 mark. Dallas led by as many as 11 points in the period before settling for a 29-21 going into the second quarter.
Phoenix rallied to tie the game at 37 when Cloud canned a 3-pointer with 4:29 to play in the second quarter. Dallas went back up by three points, before the Mercury rallied to tie at 42, and then the Wings moved in front at 44-42 on a layup by Copper with 1:11 left. Phoenix led 49-46 at the break.
Copper led all scorers with 18 points in the half, while Griner had 13 for the Mercury, which shot 61.3 percent in the half. Howard paced Dallas with 12 points and Sims added 10.
The Wings were still within 54-51 Howard hit two of three free throws with 8:23 to play in the third quarter. But Phoenix pushed the margin to a 15 points after a 3-pointer by Herbert Harrigan with 51 seconds left in the period and led 80-66 heading into the final quarter.
–Field Level Media
