Taurasi scores 30 as Mercury beat Liberty

NEW YORK — Diana Taurasi scored 30 points and Brittney Griner added 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to help the eighth-seeded Phoenix Mercury beat the No. 3 New York Liberty 101-94 on Saturday night in the WNBA playoffs.

Taurasi is 13-3 in elimination games in her storied career, including a 6-0 mark on the road.

“I’m not afraid of it. It’s a challenge. It’s fun,” she said. “When you go on the road, especially here at the Garden. These fans are so thirsty they want a championship so bad. We came in the underdog. Today was a whole lot of fun.”