Taurasi steers Mercury to victory over Mystics

Dream, Sky surge

PHOENIX, May 30, (AP): Diana Taurasi scored 20 of her 28 points after the half to lead the Phoenix Mercury to a 93-77 win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday.

Candice Dupree had 16 points, DeWanna Bonner added 14 with a season-high 12 rebounds — her first double-double of the season — and Brittney Griner scored 13 to help the Mercury to their first win of the season.

Taurasi scored 10 points during a 23-7 run that erased a 10-point deficit and propelled the Mercury to a 69-66 lead at the end of the third quarter. She then hit three 3s in the fourth as Phoenix pushed its lead to as many as 18 points.

Stephanie Dolson led the Mystics with 14 points. Emma Meesseman scored 12, Tayler Hill added 11 points and Bria Hartley 10.

The Mercury, who avoided their first 0-5 start in franchise history, set season highs for points, field goals made (33) and field goal percentage (53.2).

Dream 85, Fever 76 In Atlanta, Angel McCoughtry scored 22 points and the Dream beat Indiana, spoiling a milestone game for Fever star Tamika Catchings.

Catchings joined Tina Thompson as the only players in WNBA history to reach the 7,000-point plateau. Catchings had 16 points to push her total to 7,005. Thompson had 7,488.

Layshia Clarendon scored 17 points, Tiffany Hayes added 14 points and six assists, and Sancho Lyttle had 12 points for the Dream. They have won four in a row.

Catchings’ layup tied it, for the first time since 2-2, with 7:09 remaining, but Lyttle and McCoughtry combined to score 15 points during a 20-9 run as Atlanta pulled away down the stretch.

Erica Wheeler had 18 points and seven

Jayson Werth connected for a pinch-hit grand slam. Wilson Ramos had three hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in four runs. Bryce Harper hit an RBI single during a three-run fourth off Michael Wacha (2-6), who lost his sixth straight decision. assists for the Fever.

Sky 92, Wings 87 In Arlington, Texas, Cappie Pondexter scored 18 points to lead six Chicago players in double figures as the Sky beat the Wings to end a four-game skid.

Elena Delle Donne added 14 for Chicago, while Jamierra Faulkner and Allie Quigley had 13 points apiece. Imani Boyette and Tamera Young added 10 points each. Faulkner had nine assists, giving her 30 in the last three games.

The Sky used a 26-4 run to take a 37-20 lead with 7:47 left in the second quarter and led the rest of the way.

Chicago, which shot a season-high 58.6 percent, made 24 of 37 first-half field-goal attempts en route to a 56-47 lead at the break.

Odyssey Sims tied her season high with 23 points to lead the Wings.

In this Aug 9, 2015 file photo, Los Angeles Sparks center Candace Parker (3) shoots against Minnesota Lynx forward Asjha Jones during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, in

Minneapolis. (AP)

In Atlanta, Derek Dietrich hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer and drove in four runs before getting hurt on a foul ball hit into Miami’s dugout.

Dietrich’s homer landed deep in the lower section of the right-field seats in the sixth, giving Miami a 3-1 lead.