WNBA | League-leading Stars triumph on the road

PHOENIX — Sophia Young scored 10 of her 26 points in the third quarter, leading the San Antonio Silver Stars to a 97-87 victory over the defending champion Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.

Becky Hammon scored 19 points and Ann Wauters and Erin Buescher each added 15 for league-leading San Antonio (16-7).

The Silver Stars lead the Storm by a game in the Western Conference.

San Antonio scored the first seven points of the second half and went on a 14-4 run during the third quarter to open a 75-61 lead.

"We defended better in the third quarter than in the first half," Wauters said. "In the first half, they scored, then we scored and we were really just trading baskets. But in the third quarter, we were a little bit more focused. We defended better and we got ourselves some easy baskets."

Vickie Johnson had 10 points and eight of San Antonio's 25 assists.

"You have five players in double figures," Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes said. "So we had good balance between our interior play and our perimeter play. We got good play off the bench, too, and I thought [that] was key."

Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi each had 23 points for the Mercury (9-12), which has lost three in a row and five of six.

The duo — the top two scorers in the league — was a combined 10 of 29 from the field going into the final quarter.

"We've just got to put 40 minutes together," Taurasi said. "That's about it. There's got to be some consistency throughout the whole game that maintains that level of play and keeps you in the game.

"We couldn't hold that in the third."

San Antonio has won eight of nine, with the loss coming Monday night to the Sparks in Los Angeles.

The Mercury fell into a tie for last place in the West with Houston.

"We have to challenge each other right now," Taurasi said. "This is make or break these next couple of games, especially before the [Olympic] break."

The Silver Stars held Phoenix to 5-of-24 shooting in the third quarter.

Other game

Liberty 77, at Sun 71

Lisa Willis scored a career-high 18 points to help New York (11-9) beat Connecticut (13-9), extending the Sun's losing streak to four.

Shameka Christon scored 16 points for New York. Cathrine Kraayeveld, a graduate of Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, added 11 points and seven rebounds.

New York held Connecticut scoreless over a span of 5:10 in the fourth quarter.

Lindsay Whalen led the Sun with 19 points and Jamie Carey had a career-high 18.

"We gave up 51 points in the second half," Connecticut coach Mike Thibault said. "Every time we had to help on somebody, Willis, Kraayeveld or Christon knocked down jump shots. They played better than us."