PHOENIX (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 17 of her 32 points in the fourth quarter and Sami Whitcomb hit a back-breaking 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to lift the Seattle Storm to a 97-91 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night.
Brittney Griner had 22 points for the Mercury after sitting out the previous three games for a mental health break and Diana Taurasi had 28 points in the game after she scored 42 and surpassed 10,000 in her legendary career but it wasn’t enough against the last-place Storm.
Seattle is now 7-20 this season with three wins coming over the Mercury. Unlike the first two matchups, won by an average of 18.5 points, this game had seven ties and 12 lead changes, eight of those in the first half of the fourth quarter. Loyd had six points in an 8-0 run that put Seattle up 87-81 with 3:18 to play.
A Griner three-point play made it 89-87 with 2:31 to go but Loyd banked in 3-pointer at 1:03. Taurasi scored on a drive but then Whitcomb beat the shot clock with a 3 for a 95-89 lead.
Ezi Magbegor had 19 points for Seattle and Whitcomb and Gabby Williams both added 14. Loyd had three 3-pointers, giving her 85 on the season, two more than the team record she established last season. Loyd was also 13 of 14 from the foul line, while the Mercury were 13 of 15.
Sophia Cunningham and Megan Gustafson both had 13 points, all in the first half, when Taurasi had 12. The Storm were within 43-41 with just over two minutes to go when Jordan Horston accidently caught Shey Peddy in the throw for a flagrant 1 foul. Peddy left the game and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Cunningham made the two free throws in her place. On the ensuing possession, Moriah Jefferson hit a short jumper and the Mercury went on to a 50-41 lead.
Phoenix, which only had three turnovers in the first half, had seven in the third quarter and Seattle used a 14-4 run to surge ahead 68-61. Magbegor had 11 points in the quarter for the Storm. However, the Mercury scored four points in the last six seconds to close within 68-65 entering the fourth quarter.
