SEATTLE, June 21 (Ticker) -- After Diana Taurasi gave the Phoenix Mercury a lead, and rookie Cappie Pondexter made sure they kept it.

Taurasi scored 16 of her 26 points in the third quarter and Pondexter carried things in the final period as the Mercury raced to an 87-80 victory over the Seattle Storm.

NBA TV highlights from Mercury-Storm: Play

In the third quarter, Taurasi scored 13 points in a 19-3 run that turned a tie game into a 63-47 lead for the Mercury. She made three 3-pointers in the burst, capping it with a shot from the arc at the 3:11 mark.

Holding a 67-53 lead after three quarters, the Mercury never were threatened over the final 10 minutes as Pondexter scored 12 of her 27 points in the period.

Pondexter, the second overall pick in the draft, has scored 226 points, the most in WNBA history through the first 10 games.

Phoenix shot 45 percent (29-of-64) and made 11 3-pointers en route to its first win in three tries over Seattle this season.

Lauren Jackson had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Janell Burse scored 14 points for the Storm, who fell to 3-3 at home. Seattle made just 3-of-18 attempts from the arc.