Connecticut
Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner return in Phoenix Mercury’s loss to Connecticut Sun
US women’s basketball looks to secure 8th consecutive Olympic gold
With WNBA viewership at an all-time high, the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team looks to continue Olympic dominance.
Diana Taurasi made a much-needed return to the Phoenix Mercury, but even with a deeper bench, the Mercury couldn’t stop the Connecticut Sun in Sunday’s 96-69 road loss.
After playing with six players in Friday’s loss to the Indiana Fever, three starters returned Sunday.
Taurasi was back after missing the last three games with a lower left leg injury. She scored six points and added six rebounds in 25 minutes. Brittney Griner left Friday’s game in the second quarter with a right hip injury but returned on Sunday to score 16 points and grab nine rebounds. Point guard Natasha Cloud returned after missing one game with a knee issue and scored 10 points and six assists.
Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 17 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
The Mercury couldn’t find answers defensively for the Sun’s Rachel Banham, who scored 24 points by making eight 3-pointers off the bench.
The Mercury hung tight with the Sun in the first half, trailing by just six points at halftime. But the Sun pulled away in the third quarter, holding the Mercury to single digits while scoring 19 points. Connecticut then went on a 14-5 run to open the fourth quarter to take a commanding lead.
Phoenix struggled with turnovers, committing 17 to the Sun’s seven. The Mercury couldn’t get to the free throw line very much, making just 6-of-10, while the Sun made 12-of-21.
The Mercury (12-12) dropped to 4-8 on the road. The Sun improved to 18-5 overall, the league’s second-best record.
Phoenix will face the Washington Mystics on the road Tuesday for the final game before the All-Star break, at 8:30 a.m., Phoenix time.