UNCASVILLE — Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi each scored 27 points to help the Phoenix Mercury beat the Connecticut Sun 96-86 on Thursday night in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.
The Mercury will face Seattle in the conference semifinals, starting Sunday.
Stephanie Talbot hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 94 with 4:19 left. Griner then scored four points and had a key block on Courtney Williams to give the Mercury a 92-86 lead with 1:11 left.
Taurasi improved to 13-0 in her career in deciding playoff games. The former UConn star got the team going early hitting from all over the court. After one 3-pointer she pushed her arms down to quiet the loud crowd.
The game was a rematch of last season's second round contest that the Mercury won 88-83. In that game the Mercury didn't have DeWanna Bonner, who was out for the season while she gave birth to twins. On Thursday night she played nearly the entire game and finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
Courtney Williams led the Sun with 27 points, including a four-point play in the fourth quarter.
SHE SAID IT: Taurasi is never one to shy away from the spotlight, embracing big moments. She was aware of her perfect mark in deciding playoff games.
"I haven't been aware until last year, when that number started getting thrown around," Taurasi said. "And then it was, 'OK, that's pretty good'. Kind of means nothing, though, really. It just means you're comfortable in that position."