Brittney Griner poured in 29 points and was clutch down the stretch as the visiting Phoenix Mercury pulled out an 85-82 victory against the Indiana Fever on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Diana Taurasi provided 18 points and seven assists and Sophie Cunningham made all three of her 3-point baskets in the second half on the way to 13 points for the Mercury (2-5), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Michaela Onyenwere’s 11 points and 12 rebounds and Sug Sutton’s 10 points and seven assists also helped the Phoenix cause.
NaLyssa Smith cranked in 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds for the Fever (2-6). Erica Wheeler supplied 17 points and eight assists and Kelsey Mitchell posted 12 points as Indiana failed to capture its second close-margin victory in three days.
It was a struggle for Fever rookie forward Aliyah Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s draft, as she was limited to four points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes.
Griner’s two free throws put the Mercury ahead 80-79 with 2:06 to play. Her basket in the lane provided Phoenix an 82-80 edge on the team’s next possession, and Cunningham’s 3-pointer with 50 seconds left gave the Mercury some breathing room.
Smith scored off an offensive rebound to keep the Fever in it. The Mercury milked the clock before Taurasi missed a jumper. The Fever’s bid to tie failed on Wheeler’s missed 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
The Fever surged to a 10-point lead in the third quarter and led 67-59 going to the fourth. But Cunningham hit two 3-pointers during an 8-0 run in the first 56 seconds of the fourth quarter as the Mercury pulled even at 67-67 to set up a tight finish.
The Mercury went up by nine points in the first quarter but briefly trailed during a back-and-forth final few minutes of the first half. Phoenix held a 43-42 edge at the break, boosted by Griner’s 14 points. Smith had 15 for Indiana in the first half.
–Field Level Media
