PHOENIX(AP) Diana Taurasi scored 31 points and Le'Coe Willingham added a career-high 26 as the Phoenix Mercury recovered after squandering a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and beat the Sacramento Monarchs 115-104 in overtime on Saturday night.

Cappie Pondexter had 22 points, six rebounds and six assists to help the Mercury set a WNBA record for the most points in a game, topping the 114 scored by Minnesota against Los Angeles on May 31, 2006.

"The strength of our team this year is going to be a lot of people getting involved and we like to score a lot of points,'' said Taurasi, who hit six 3-pointers and finished 11 for 20 from the field. "If we spread it around, we have six or seven people that can score 20 points any night. We just have to get to that point where we can trust anybody.''

The 219 points were also the third-highest combined total. Phoenix has been involved in the top five - the Mercury beat Houston 111-110 in three overtimes on Aug. 10, 2006, and they had a 111-109 win in two overtimes against Connecticut on July 6, 2007.

Taurasi scored eight points in overtime, including two 3-pointers in the first 1:18 of the extra period to help Phoenix (3-1) pull away. The Mercury shot 8 for 12 from the field in overtime.

"If we go hard the whole time they shouldn't be able to match us,'' Mercury coach Corey Gaines said. "In overtime I knew they were really going to be tired and we were fresh.''

Phoenix topped 100 points for a league-leading 15th time in franchise history, improving to 13-2 in such games.

Nicole Powell scored 15 of her 28 points in the fourth quarter for Sacramento (1-3). Kara Lawson had 16 points and eight assists.

The Monarchs played their second straight game without veteran point guard Ticha Penicheiro, who injured her thumb last Sunday against Seattle.

"That hurts us a lot for a lot of different reasons,'' Monarchs coach Jenny Boucek said. "One, she's a great defender and two she's a great leader for us and a stabilizer. To win on the road you have to have extreme poise and focus and that's where you miss a veteran like that in particular. "

Willingham shot 11 for 17 from the field, eclipsing her previous career high of 17 set last June 14 against Detroit.

Lawson's 3-pointer with 19.4 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 97. Pondexter missed an 18-footer with 2 seconds remaining.

"We felt good about our chances going into overtime,'' Lawson said, "because we were the team that had come back and quote unquote had the momentum and it just didn't work out for us''

Taurasi hit a 3 with 4:07 left in overtime, while Powell missed one for the Monarchs. Taurasi then came back with another 3 at the 3:42 mark to give Phoenix a 107-99 lead and Sacramento never got closer.

"In the overtime we could've easily let them come out with that energy that they're known for,'' Taurasi said. "But we kind of flipped it on them and we did it instead.''

The Monarchs trailed 84-68 with 8:02 left in regulation but Powell hit three 3-pointers and then her layup with 1:24 remaining got Sacramento within 95-92.

Sacramento won the opener of the teams' home-and-home set, 90-71 at home on Friday night.