Mercury cruise to 15-point win over Storm
SEATTLE -- Candice Dupree scored 16 points, DeWanna Bonner added 15 and Phoenix cruised past the Seattle Storm 94-79 on Friday night for the Mercury's fourth straight win.
Seattle pulled to 46-40 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Alysha Clark to open the third quarter. But Phoenix closed the quarter on a 13-0 run for a 71-47 lead. Leilani Mitchell and Noelle Quinn combined for three consecutive 3-pointers to end the quarter.
Brittney Griner and Mitchell added 12 points apiece for Phoenix (7-5). It was the Mercury's seventh consecutive win against Seattle.
Phoenix led 46-34 at halftime behind 37 combined points from Bonner, Griner and Dupree. Phoenix's defense held Seattle to 11 first-quarter points. Griner had four blocks in the first half.
Renee Montgomery scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half for Seattle (3-11), which has lost four straight games and nine of its last 10.
The Seattle-Phoenix game was the first of a doubleheader at KeyArena. The Seattle Pro-Am, featuring Seattle-area NBA players, started 20 minutes after the Mercury's win.