WNBA: Kia Nurse scores 26 points as New York Liberty beat Phoenix Mercury
Friday night wins for Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever
Saturday 6 July 2019 10:40, UK
Kia Nurse scored 26 points and Tina Charles had 23 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as the New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 80-76 on Friday night.
New York Liberty 80-76 Phoenix Mercury
Kia Nurse scored 26 points and Tina Charles had 23 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as the New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 80-76 on Friday night.
Charles made a jumper with 50.9 seconds left for a 78-76 lead and Tanisha Wright sealed it with two free throws at 2.7.
New York (7-7) won their fourth straight game to complete a three-game road stretch. Charles became the seventh WNBA player to reach 3,000 career rebounds.
Brittney Griner scored 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Phoenix (5-6), who snapped a three-game win streak. DeWanna Bonner, the WNBA's leading scorer at 20.2 points coming in, was 3-of-13 from the field and finished with just nine points.
Griner scored 19 points in the first half to help Phoenix build a 41-40 lead. Nurse had 17 points for New York.
Atlanta Dream 77-66 Seattle Storm
Tiffany Hayes scored 21 points an Brittney Sykes had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Atlanta Dream beat the Seattle Storm 77-66 on Friday night.
Atlanta (3-9) got their first win on the road this season by snapping a four-game overall losing streak. The Dream entered with their worst road start to a season since 2008.
Elizabeth Williams added 10 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta.
Natasha Howard had 20 points and seven rebounds for Seattle (8-8). She scored 13 of Seattle's 24 points in the first half as the Storm shot just 32 per cent from the field and trailed by eight points. Jordin Canada finished with 15 points and Alysha Clark added 12.
Seattle lost for the third straight time at home after opening 5-0 in games at the University of Washington and in nearby Everett as KeyArena undergoes renovation.
Indiana Fever 76-56 Dallas Wings
Tiffany Mitchell scored 16 points while Erica Wheeler had 11 points, six rebounds and seven assists as the Indiana Fever beat the Dallas Wings 76-56.
Indiana (6-9) snapped a four-game losing streak to match their win total from last season.
Natalie Achonwa added 13 points for Indiana. Rookie Teaira McCowan had nine points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Indiana led 37-30 at half time and held Dallas to 26 second-half points.
Theresa Plaisance had 15 points and seven rebounds for Dallas (4-8). Arike Ogunbowale, the WNBA rookie of the month for June, also scored 15 on 5-of-13 shooting. The Wings shot just 32 per cent from the field, including 4-of-25 from distance.
Dallas forward Glory Johnson was at the game after getting back from the EuroBasket tournament, but did not play.
Washington Mystics P-P Las Vegas Aces
The game between the surging Washington Mystics and the Las Vegas Aces was postponed because of an earthquake that struck Southern California.
It was halted at half time with Washington leading 51-36.
LaToya Sanders scored 14 points in the first half as the Mystics were shooting 59 per cent from the field. Liz Cambage had 12 points for Las Vegas, but the rest of her team-mates were a combined 9-of-28 shooting.
Washington (9-3), who owns the best record in the WNBA, were seeking a sixth straight win. Las Vegas (8-5) were looking for its first three-game winning streak of the season.
