WNBA: Indiana At Phoenix
Strong 2nd Half Lifts Mercury Over Indiana 80-75
Mercury used to be the main element in thermometers, which measure the extent of someone's fever.
The Phoenix Mercury answered fan demands to 'Break the Fever,' handing the Indiana basketball squad an 80-75 defeat Sunday at U.S. Airways Center.
Phoenix guard Cappie Pondexter drilled 4 free throws in the game's final minute to finish the night with a team-high 21 points.
"I'm glad we were able to win," says Pondexter. "Indiana's a tough team, they make you play kind of ugly. Tonight it was back-and-forth."
The Fever led at the half, 34-32, in what had been a seesaw battle. Phoenix outscored them 23-14 in the 3rd quarter. Indiana climbed back to tie it at 66 with just over 2 minutes to play in the game. However the Mercury then went on a 14-9 run to seal the deal, launched by forward Diana Taurasi's 22-foot 3-pointer, which put Phoenix up for good.
"We knew we were in for a grind, and to pull this one out is very big," hails Taurasi, who scored 16. "But Indiana will be rolling again soon."
Phoenix center Tangela Smith finished the night with 18 points, and came in first among all rebounders with 12. Forward Penny Taylor contributed 10 points.
Phoenix's offensive total presented a sizable drop from the high 90's and 100 plus marks of their 3 previous affairs, yet the defenses of both teams kept opponents' shooting percentages under 40 (Phoenix 38.5, Indiana 32.5).
"We were able to hold them...and it goes back to their defense too," says Pondexter. "They're a great team with or without Catch (Tamika Catchings)."
The Fever's All-star forward Tamika Catchings missed her 5th consecutive game with a partially torn plantar fascia in her left foot. She is expected back in the lineup before the end of the year, yet teammates admit she's greatly missed.
"Tamika is Tamika," says Indiana guard Anna DeForge, who scored 10 points just two weeks after enjoying her role as an eastern conference starter alongside Catchings in the 2007 WNBA All Star Game. "She does everything for this team, but I think that we've had a lot of time to adjust, we're getting better every game as a team without her."
Fever guard Tan White led all scorers with 25 points. Center Tammy Sutton-Brown drilled 14, while Tamika Whitmore scored 11.
The game told a tale of two streaks. Phoenix has now won 4 straight, while the Fever have dropped 6 in a row.
"We're battling some adversity right now," adds DeForge. "We've just got to keep gutting it out...we've got to turn one of these into a W."
Some good news for the Fever - they get to go home. They host the Washington Mystics Tuesday, then head back on the road, traveling to Connecticut to play the Sun on Saturday. Catchings may be back then, yet the Sun have won 8 of 9, a stretch which includes a 6-game winning streak.
The Mercury head out on their longest road trip of the season, 4 games. All are against western conference rivals. They begin with the Houston Comets Tuesday at the Toyota Center.
"If you look at it as four games in ten days, it might take you back," says Taurasi. "But if you look at as 'one game in Houston...' that's all we're looking at is a one-game series. It's one game at a time."
From Houston, the Mercury head to San Antonio, then Seattle, and finish the road swing in L.A.
