Sky spoil Griner’s home debut with win
PHOENIX >> Kahleah Copper scored 15 points and the Chicago Sky spoiled Brittney Griner’s regularseason home debut, holding on down the stretch for a 75-69 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
Griner finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in her first regular-season home game since being released after spending more than 10 months in a Russian prison.
She nor the Mercury could do enough to pull out the win.
Chicago led by 11 in the second half, but Phoenix pulled within 66-64 on Diana Taurasi’s 3-pointer with three minutes left. After the Sky pushed the lead back to five, Griner scored on a three-point play to make it 69-67 and the Mercury forced a miss.
Chicago’s Dana Evans then hit a running bank shot sandwiched between two Phoenix turnovers and Rebekah Gardner hit two free throws to seal it with 16 seconds left.
Evans finished with 13 points and Courtney Williams added 12 for the Sky (2-0).
Taurasi had 16 points and Sug Sutton added 13 for Phoenix (0-2). LIBERTY 90, FEVER 73
Breanna Stewart scored a franchise record 45 points and New York beat Indiana, handing the Fever a 20th consecutive loss that matched the WNBA record for futility.
The Fever equaled the Tulsa Shock, who lost 20 straight games in 2011. Indiana lost 18 consecutive games to close out last season before falling to the Connecticut Sun on Friday in their opener. Indiana plays at Atlanta next Sunday.
Behind Stewart, New York (1-1) built a 62-35 lead at the half and never looked back.
The only real suspense in the second half was whether Stewart could break the single-game franchise scoring mark of 40 held by Cappie Pondexter set also against Indiana in 2010.
Stewart broke that record on a three-point play with 2:13 left in the third quarter to put New York up 82-52. She finished the game going 15-of-21 from the field, including hitting six 3-pointers. She was also 9-for-9 from the foul line and had 12 rebounds.
Aliyah Boston scored 15 points for Indiana (0-2). SUN 80, MYSTICS 74
Dewanna Bonner scored 21 points, Alyssa Thomas had 14 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals to help the Sun rally from a 12-point deficit to beat the Mystics.
Brionna Jones added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Connecticut (2-0).
Shakira Austin scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Elena Delle Donne had 19 points and also had 11 boards for the Mystics (11).
Tyasha Harris hit a 3-pointer to close the third quarter and pull the Sun within a point and Jones made a putback to give the Sun their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter before Rebecca Allen hit a 3 to cap a 13-2 run and make it 67-60 with 5:59 remaining.
Connecticut again trailed.
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