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The Phoenix Mercry Slam the Minnesota Lynx 106-93.
A penny saved is a penny earned. Such is the case with Phoenix phenom Penny Taylor. The All-Star Australian forward saves her best stuff for last in Sunday's game, and earns the top scorer honor, as her and Phoenix Mercury (13-10) teammates cruise to a 106-93 win over the visiting Minnesota Lynx. 19 of Taylor's 28 points came in the second half, as did 6 of her game-high 9 rebounds. "It was really exciting, it was a lot of fun." Taylor says about Sunday's contest. "We're running the floor and taking opportunities as they come, and there's a lot of them, because we're getting open so often." Taylor shot 8-of-19 from the floor, and went 11-for-15 from the free-throw line. Center Tangela Smith hit 24 points and blocked 2 shots, while Diana Taurasi drilled 13 points. "The beauty of our team is that everyone can score, and that everyone's a threat," adds Taylor. "Regardless of what the other team does, we need to have that same energy." That energy was consistent throughout Sunday's affair. The Mercury scored 29 in the first and third periods, and 24 in the second and fourth. Their defense tamed the Lynx, particularly in the second quarter, allowing only 9 Minnesota points. "It's good that we were able to contain them," Mercury guard Cappie Pondexter says. "We didn't beat ourselves down knowing that we just came off a loss." The Los Angeles Sparks broke their franchise record 7-game losing streak in Phoenix with an 87-77 win over the Mercury on Friday. Sunday's Mercury win avenges Minnesota's June 5th upset of them in Phoenix, the Lynx's first win of the year. This time around for the Lynx, guard Seimone Augustus sank 23 points, while center Nicole Ohlde earned 17 and forward Svetlana Abrosimova tallied 14. "They shot the ball extremely well," claims Abrosimova. "It's really tough to play against Phoenix when they are making outside shots because you have to extend your defense and they go for the lay-ups off of that.' At 5-19, the Lynx continue to plummet. Following an 0-7 start to the year, some fans thought circumstances might change for the better as they won 5 of their next 8 games, including one against West-leading San Antonio. Nonetheless, Minnesota has now lost 9 straight, they've guaranteed themselves of a losing season, and are close to playoff contention elimination. For now, they will meet the third-place Mercury again on Wednesday in Minneapolis at the Target Center. "We have to come out with the same aggression," says Penny Taylor. "We need to keep the focus." Penny will try to contribute her usual 20 plus cents in the next match with the help of teammates.
The copyright of the article Mercury Melt Minnesota in Basketball is owned by Mark Fontes. Permission to republish Mercury Melt Minnesota in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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