Shock Falls to Phoenix Mercury

Coming off of its first win, Tulsa couldn't pull off the upset over the defending WNBA champion.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:45 am

By: News On 6

Originally Published: May 25, 2010 9:45 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsabattled back and forth with defending champion Phoenix, but a late-game run doomed the Shock to a 110-96 loss.

The teams traded baskets for most of the opening minutes, but a 9-2 run by the Mercury pushed its lead from three to 10 points. Phoenix ended the first quarter with a 35-23 lead.

Still down 12, the Shock strung together 10 unanswered points – four by Scholanda Robinson – part of a larger 14-2 run to tie the game with three minutes left in the half. The Mercury scored five straight points, including a buzzer-beating three by Penny Taylor, to take a 58-53 lead into the locker room.

Taylor ended the half with 14 points and five assists, while perennial All-Star Diana Taurasi led all scorers with 18 points. Collectively, the Mercury shot 11-of-20 from 3-point range, including 6-of-7 from behind the arc from Taurasi.

“I thought we pushed them out pretty deep, but they still made [3-point shots],” said Shock head coach Nolan Richardson. “It was just one of those nights.”

Robinson led all Shock scorers with 11 points, while Shanna Crossley and Amber Holt both added 10.

Phoenix continued its offensive onslaught in the second half with a quick six points – a 3-point play and a Turasi 3-pointer – extended the Mercury lead to seven points. Tulsa answered with an 8-2 run, four from Chante Black, to close the gap to 66-65.

“After [Tulsa beat Minnesota] we knew we were going to have our hands full,” said Taurasi. “Down 16 they could have packed it in. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight.”

Tied with two minutes left in the third, Phoenix scored seven straight points to take an 87-80 lead into the final quarter of the game. Tulsa was within striking distance, but four straight from Taurasi pushed the lead to 10 points and the Mercury never looked back.

“They were making tough shots. There’s nothing we can do about that,” said Natasha Lacey. “There’s no defense that can be played. We were trying our hardest out there.”

Taurasi finished the game with 35 points, while Taylor added 29 points and Candice Dupree scored 14 and grabbed 14 boards. Phoenix slowed down from the perimeter in the second half, only hitting five of their 16 shots from 3-point range, finishing the night shooting 44 percent from behind the arc.

Holt scored 20 off the bench for Tulsa, while Robinson and Crossley added 13 each.

The Shock is back in action Saturday at 7:00 p.m. against the Indiana Fever.