Skylar Diggins-Smith had 17 points and six teammates scored in double figures as the host Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 99-78 on Wednesday night.
Sophie Cunningham scored 14 points, Shey Peddy and Diamond DeShields had 13 each, Brianna Turner added 11 points and 11 rebounds and Diana Taurasi and Reshanda Gray scored 11 each as the Mercury (9-12) won their third straight game to match their longest win streak of the season.
Phoenix tied its highest point total this season, shot 54.3 percent (38 of 70) from the floor and finished with a season-high 29 assists, led by seven each from Diggins-Smith and Taurasi along with six from Peddy.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Victoria Vivians added 13 to lead the Fever (5-16).
Taurasi, who made a season-high seven 3-pointers in an 83-71 victory against the Fever on Monday, made her first attempt of the second half after missing all four of her first-half attempts, giving Phoenix a 52-45 lead.
The lead reached 12 before Emma Cannon made a 3-pointer for Indiana.
The Mercury rebuilt the lead to 12 four more times, the final being a 75-63 edge at the end of the third quarter.
Diggins-Smith started the fourth-quarter scoring with a 3-pointer and Turner added a basket for a commanding 80-65 lead.
The Mercury scored the first six points and built a 13-2 lead before the Fever made a push.
Danielle Robinson, Destanni Henderson and Mitchell made 3-pointers as Indiana pulled within 17-16.
Phoenix rebuilt the lead to five before the Fever took their first lead at 23-21 on Vivians’ 3-pointer.
The score was tied for the first time before Indiana took a 25-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.
DeShields’ basket started the second-quarter scoring and produced the first of seven lead changes in the period.
Another DeShields basket produced the third and final tie of the quarter and started an 8-0 run that gave the Mercury a 49-43 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
