Diana Taurasi scored 21 points, grabbed seven
rebounds and dished out three assists, as the Phoenix Mercury moved on to the
WNBA Finals with an 85-74 win against the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 3 of the
Western Conference Finals.
Lecoe Willingham posted 17 points and six rebounds for Phoenix, which captured
the league championship in 2007. Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor had 12
points apiece in the win.
The Mercury will take on Indiana in the best-of-five Finals beginning on
Tuesday in Phoenix. The Fever will make their first ever appearance in the
Finals after defeating Detroit 72-67 on Saturday.
Lisa Leslie tallied a game-high 22 points in her final WNBA game after
previously announcing her retirement earlier in the year. Betty Lennox had 19
points and Tina Thompson totaled 13 points with 11 rebounds.
Candace Parker battled foul trouble and scored just six points for the Sparks,
who led wire-to-wire in a Game 2 victory that forced Saturday's deciding
contest.
Los Angeles got off to a poor start, tying a WNBA postseason low for points in
the first quarter with seven. That allowed Phoenix an early 19-7 lead after 10
minutes of play and the Mercury built their lead to 22 four minutes into the
second before LA recovered somewhat for a 16-point deficit, 41-25, at
halftime.
A 14-6 run that spanned the middle stages of the third quarter saw Phoenix
holding a comfortable 57-36 advantage and the Sparks trailed by 13, 61-48,
entering the final quarter.
Taurasi knocked down one of her two three-pointers early in the fourth and
scored eight consecutive Phoenix points to hold down an 18-point lead
approaching the midway point of the frame.
The Sparks never properly recovered from their poor start and still trailed by
18 with a minute left before a late flurry made the final appear more
respectable.
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