Article Author:
Reuters
The Diamond DeShields scored a season-high 25 points as hosts Phoenix Mercury ended a three-game losing streak and strengthened their playoff hopes with a 76-62 victory over the New York Liberty on Saturday night.
Shea Pedy added 20 points and Sophie Cunningham scored 18. Mercury (14-19) overcame star guard Diana's Taurasi (quadriceps injury) absence to leapfrog New York and he moved up to eighth.
Sabrina Ionescu scored her 20 points to put Liberty in the lead (13-19).
Liberty scored her four points in the first of the 3rd quarter to finish 43-38.
Jenny Sims scored his 3-pointer and already scored his 1st goal to push the lead to his 10th.
New York finished within seven points of him before DeShields changed his play by three points, and Phoenix had him leading 58–46 by the end of the third quarter. rice field.
Back-to-back goals from Briana Turner and Peddy kicked off the scoring of the fourth quarter and pushed the lead to 16 for him.
Peddy made after Ionescu's floater produced Liberty's first point of the quarter. He extended the lead to 68-51 with back-to-back 3-point shots that nipped in Ionescu's 3-pointers.
Liberty finished within eight points on his two occasions, but Mercury scored his last six points of the game.
DeShields scored his seven points as Mercury led by his 11-5 in the first. They led by up to 10 before taking a 25-16 lead in the second quarter. DeShields scored 14 points in that period.
Cunningham hit his 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter and added his one more goal to push the lead to 33-18.
Liberty scored his next five points and Ionescu scored his five points in the final of the quarter and he trailed New York 43-34 at halftime.
DeShields scored his 22 points in the half, one point short of his highest score in a single game the previous season.
– Field Level Media