‘Will to win’
Griner and Taurasi lift Mercury into semifinals
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Playing in front of many fans who used to cheer for her in college, Diana Taurasi broke hearts once again.
The former University of Connecticut star guard scored 27 points to lift fifth-seeded Phoenix over the Connecticut Sun, 96-86, on Thursday in a WNBA playoff game at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Taurasi and teammate Brittney Griner, who also had 27 points with 18 rebounds and six blocks, spoiled the postseason for the Sun for a second straight year on their home court in the quarterfinals. Griner had 19 points in the second half on 8of-12 shooting.
“I’ve never seen anyone with the will to win bigger than her’s is,” Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello said. “She’s so critical for our success, and what were her numbers at the end – she scored 27 points.
“I think we relish these moments where it’s really up to you if you want to keep playing.” Diana Taurasi Mercury guard
“I have no words for Diana right now.”
Taurasi improved her record with the Mercury in winner-take-all games to 13-0.
“A lot of it is luck, a lot of it is having great teammates,” said Taurasi, who won three national championships at UConn and is 35-1 in single-elimination games dating back to her first year with the Huskies. “You don’t do it alone in this sport, you always have to rely on your teammates, your coaches, and I think we relish these moments where it’s really up to you if you want to keep playing.”
DeWanna Bonner added 23 points for the Mercury (2-0), who advanced to play at top-seeded Seattle, starting Sunday, in a best-of-five semifinal series. Phoenix has not won a championship since 2014.
“The Big 3 have been great,” Brondello said. “We’re capable of beating anyone, but you can also lose to anyone in this league. But I think we are playing at such a high level, we will go into Seattle being a confident team.”
The Big 3 of Phoenix – Bonner, Griner and Taurasi – combined for 77 points, but it was baskets from the other two starters, Stephanie Talbot and Briann January, that were critical down the stretch.
January hit a 3-pointer with 4:46 left to give Phoenix an 81-78 lead. Courtney Williams, who scored 27 points for the Sun (0-1), answered at the other end with a 3-pointer, and was fouled by Stephanie Talbot doing it, so her free throw made it 84-81.
Talbot, shaking off the foul and an air-ball 3-pointer attempt a few minutes earlier, tied it at 84 with a 27-footer at 3:35. The Mercury would outscore the Sun 12-2 the rest of the way, closing on an 8-0 run.
“That’s a player making a play,” Connecticut coach Curt Miller said. “Again, we got the ball out of Griner’s hands and all of a sudden a player who had just airballed a shot turned around and made a big shot to tie it up.”
Griner took over from there. She broke the tie at 2:21, hitting a jumper to give Phoenix an 86-84 lead. After Alyssa Thomas scored at the other end, Bonner gave the Mercury a cushion with a layup at 2:10.
Griner then stuffed Williams trying for a backdoor layup at the other end and grabbed the rebound. After she made two foul shots to extend the lead to 90-86, Griner tipped a pass by Shekinna Stricklen to Taurasi and that led to another Bonner layup.
“(Bonner) came to me at halftime in the locker room and told me to stop being passive,” Griner said. “It just kind of hit me what she said and I just started being more aggressive.”