No matter what others might think, Diana Taurasi says her hectic schedule isn't wearing her down, and her recent subpar shooting games have nothing to do with exhaustion.

"This has been a long trip, these past four or five months," said Taurasi, who has been the center of local and national media blitzes since she was selected No. 1 in the WNBA draft by the Mercury. "Things are starting to settle down a little bit. I feel fine, I really do."

Despite unrelenting, and at times unrealistic, demands on her time, she says she's in control of things.

She does not think she's hitting a wall, although her coach said Taurasi looked physically and emotionally exhausted after a seven-game road trip. But Taurasi said the time is nearing when she will begin refusing some of the media requests.

Whether it's exhaustion, bad luck or something else, Taurasi has been struggling offensively. She leads the team and all rookies in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game. But in eight of her past 10 games she has failed to make better than 40 percent of her shots. The Mercury is 3-7 in those games.

Taurasi says trying to dissect her shooting woes is a wasted exercise. While her touch might be a bit off, it hasn't affected the way she runs the court, dives for loose balls or leads the team.

"It's not all about shooting," she said. "That's such a small part of my game, but that's what people focus on the most. I just try to do the little things.

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"When you go through a long season, you have ups and downs. The way you react and respond will determine how well you do the rest of the year. I'm trying to stay positive."

The Mercury (8-12) has been stuck on eight wins, which matches last season's total, since July 1. It hopes to snap its five-game losing streak at noon today against San Antonio (6-15) at America West Arena. Phoenix also plays Thursday and Saturday and will have two more games before the Olympic break, when Taurasi will be under an international microscope for a month.

She has been playing non-stop since October when practice began for her senior season at Connecticut. She has traversed the country many times for appearances.

At games earlier this year in Connecticut and New York, she was the center of media attention, the conquering hero returning home. But she has been a lightning rod for the media at every stop along the way. Despite the repetition, she has always been accommodating.

"That's my biggest problem, saying no," she said. "I'm always willing to do it. We need to do it for the league, to get exposure for the team, but there comes a point where I've just got to say, 'Back off.' "

Mercury analyst Tim Kempton, who played for nine NBA teams and also was a Suns analyst, says he sees no sign of the "wall" that some people believe Taurasi has hit.

"She's in great condition," Kempton said. "I think people are just beginning to figure out the Mercury. It's very difficult for a person to be both a scorer and the main ball handler and get others involved in the offense. You need to take the ball out of her hands and run more plays for her."

Teammate Penny Taylor, also bound for Athens as part of the Australian Olympic team, discounted the idea that Taurasi is tired, either because of physical exertion or off-court demands.

"I haven't seen that at all," Taylor said. "That's one thing about her. None of that affects her. She takes whatever comes. I don't think that will ever be a problem for her."

Coach Carrie Graf said that at the end of the recent 2-5 road trip that encompassed 14 days, it was "clearly obvious" that Taurasi was spent. But a week's rest has allowed her to recharge, Graf said.

"There are demands for her on and off the court, and that's draining," Graf said. "She handles that extremely well, but there's no question it's tough."

Taurasi's major adjustment has been accepting the fact that wins don't come as readily as they did when she was starring at Connecticut.

"That's part of life," she said. "You're going to go through difficult situations and not everything is going to go your way. Things haven't exactly gone as planned, but it's still a season that can be saved real quick.

"The minute we start focusing on that, we'll be fine. We've lost five in a row, and we've been in every one. That's what's most disappointing. We're 8-12 and could easily be 12-8."

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