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WNBA Phoenix Mercury

No Lynx Jinx: Mercury Burns Minnesota 70-64

by Andrew Nordmeier
August 4, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Phoenix Mercury


On the scorer's report, the Mercury starting frontcourt of Maria Stepanova, Penny Taylor and Kamila Vodichkova is listed as two F's and a C, respectively. With the way that trio played Wednesday night, they all should be listed as As.

Stepanova, Taylor and Vodichkova combined to score 47 of the Mercury's points in a 70-64 win over the Minnesota Lynx at America West Arena.

Stepanova pounded away down low and scored a season-high 18 points to pace Phoenix. Vodichkova was lethal from mid-range and scored 14 points. Taylor was equally devastating, inside and out, and racked up 15 points on the night.

Phoenix sits at 11-13 and has won eight of its last 10 to resurrect its season. Minnesota sits at 11-14 after its fifth straight loss. Both teams are within one game of Los Angeles for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Phoenix won the game but may still have suffered another kind of loss. Starting guard Anna DeForge had to be helped off the court with 16:01 left in the game. She has what was described as a mild right ankle sprain and her status is questionable for Friday's game against the Houston Comets.

The Mercury trailed at the half 38-29 and came out with a 15-5 surge to tie the game at 44-44 with 13:15 left. Stepanova fueled the surge that tied the game, scoring eight of those points while Taylor added another five.

The teams dueled back and forth but Phoenix broke away midway through the second half. Trailing 50-48 with 10:39 left, the Mercury rose to the challenge and went on a 16-5 run to open a seven-point lead and re-energize the crowd. Phoenix led by nine with 2:21 left and the frontcourt carried them through.

"We didn't box out and get those rebounds at the end of the game. They were getting those second chance points," Lynx forward Svetlana Abrosimova said, "We can't just play great the first twenty and then slow down in the second half."

The Lynx pecked away at the deficit but couldn't get closer than five down the stretch.

"I think we battled to dig that one out," Phoenix Head Coach Carrie Graf said, "That's a sign that we can win when it's not pretty. That's a sign of a good game."

Abrosimova led Minnesota with 19 points while Kristi Harrower and Chandi Jacobs each added 11 in the losing effort.

Phoenix continues its homestand with the second of five in a row at America West when Houston comes in. They still host Sacramento on the 12th, Indiana on the 14th and Detroit on the 16th before their next road game.

Notes: Phoenix continues to pick up tie-breakers in the Western Conference and has it over Minnesota with a 2-1 season series win...Phoenix is 7-3 when scoring more than 70 points in a game and 11-3 when holding opponents under 70...Minnesota's bench outscored Phoenix's 20-13 and outrebounded them 13-4...Nicole Ohlde blocked four shots for the Lynx...Attendance was reported as 5,865.

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