Postgame Quotes and Notes: Mercury vs. Silver Stars - Aug. 14, 2009


Corey Gaines
Diana Taurasi
Cappie Pondexter
Dan Hughes

Sophia Young
Becky Hammon

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Mercury Head Coach Corey Gaines

“We were very lucky they didn’t shoot well tonight. They’re a good three point shooting team so we tried to mix up the defense on them, show them a trap defense, then go zone, change up the game by going back and forth so they didn’t know which shot to take. I thought their defense was more a factor in the game than their offense.”

(On taking care of the ball)
“I think if we stay in a fast break mode and we shoot the ball after one or two passes, you have less of a chance to turn the ball over. We’re becoming more of a team and controlling the tempo more.”


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Mercury guard Diana Taurasi

(On her play against Hammon)
“A big part of what they do, is having Becky being able to break defenses down, score, and get people involved. We were able to take one part of it away tonight. We didn’t get caught in some of the things that she’s really good at, so it was a good team effort today.”

(On the defense tonight)
“I think we did a good job tonight, especially in the third quarter, I thought we played the best we have all year, where we got under the net and made it very difficult for them to get back on defense.”


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Mercury guard Cappie Pondexter

“I think we got off to a slow start, but overall our performance was pretty solid, I think it was a good win, however next game against them we defiantly need to come out more aggressive because they are at home and they’re going to have more energy. I’m sure they’re frustrated about this game and ready to make it even.”

(On shutting down Hammon)
“Putting a bigger guard on her like Dee made it frustrating for her, when she has the ball it is hard to defend her because she can do so many things with it, so by switching Dee on her was a good call for today’s game, and we’ll have to put a couple different bodies on her next game in hopes she is not more effective than tonight.”


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Silver Stars Head Coach Dan Hughes

“You’ve got to give Phoenix [Mercury] credit. They are a very good basketball team. With the addition of Penny Taylor there are a lot of weapons to guard out there. I don’t think we ever got them under control defensively. But give them credit. I think they are a very offensively challenging team for us to play.”

(On Becky Hammon and Sophia Young)
“We [Silver Stars] didn’t do a very good job of getting her [Becky Hammon] open tonight. Phoenix showed her a lot of attention and it made it difficult. I think we played well on the interior. Sophia Young played an outstanding game and [Ann] Wauters got some things done as well.”


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Silver Stars forward Sophia Young

“Give Phoenix credit. They are a great all around team. They had a lot of transition baskets on us tonight. Our team had some defensive breakdowns and that is something that we need to work on as a team.”

(On Playing Most of the Game Without Head Coach Dan Hughes)
“We knew it was going to be a tough night for us. We just tried to stay as focused as possible and just play our game. We tried to just keep our heads’ in the game.”


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Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon

“Overall, I thought we did a nice job rebounding. We just had a stretch in the 4th quarter where the game got away from us. But we were hanging in there and that’s what you want to do when you play on the road. You want to hang around and give yourself a chance to win. We just had that little stretch where we had a breakdown and that was the game right there.”

(On How Phoenix Played)
“They spread the floor well. That’s why they are so good. They have shooters everywhere and it’s difficult to guard them. They are tough on their home court so give them credit. We just have to move on to the next game now.”


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POSTGAME NOTES

  • Phoenix extended its lead over the Seattle Storm in the Western Conference standings to 3.5 games.

  • The Mercury’s magic number to clinch an appearance in the playoffs this season was reduced to six games (any combination of Mercury wins and Los Angeles Sparks losses).

  • Phoenix earned its 17th victory of the season, surpassing its win total from last season (16-18, .471). With 10 games remaining, the Mercury needs just six victories to tie the franchise record for wins in a season, set by the 2007 club (23-11, .676).

  • The Mercury avoided losing back-to-back games for the second time this season and improved to 6-1 (.857) following a loss on the season.

  • The Mercury improved to 10-3 (.769) at home, matching the team’s home win total from 2008 (10-7, .588). With four home games remaining this season, Phoenix is two wins shy of the franchise record for most home wins in a season (2007: 12-5, 1999: 12-4 and 1998: 12-3).

    KEY STAT OF THE NIGHT

    The Mercury, who entered the night with the league’s second-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.24, committed a season-low six miscues tonight, surrendering just two points off of them. It’s the first time in more than six years the Mercury have given up two or less points off turnovers (8/6/03, vs. Minnesota, 2).

    KEY RUN OF THE NIGHT

    Phoenix caught fire with 7:18 left in the third quarter, outscoring San Antonio 17-4 over the next 4:56. The run gave the Mercury its biggest lead of the night, 16, which held up against a late push by the Silver Stars to seal the victory.

    MERCURY HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Mercury recorded 78 points in the first three quarters tonight, more than 10 of the 13 WNBA teams average in an entire game.

  • Phoenix superstar DIANA TAURASI led the way for the Mercury, scoring a game-high-tying 29 points on 9-of-19 (.474) shooting, grabbing a team-high-tying six rebounds and dishing a team-high six assists.

  • After being swept by the Silver Stars in three contests in 2008, the Mercury improved to 2-1 on this year’s season series, guaranteeing the squad at least a split. The two teams face off for the fourth and final time this Saturday at AT&T Center in San Antonio.

  • By racking up 95 points tonight, Phoenix improved to 15-0 when scoring more than 90.

  • The Mercury defense held San Antonio’s BECKY HAMMON, the league’s leading scorer entering the night (20.7 ppg before the game), to just seven points on 2-of-12 (.167) shooting.

    SILVER STARS HIGHLIGHTS

  • In just her sixth game of the season, San Antonio center ANN WAUTERS recorded her first double-double on the year. Wauters racked up 12 points and grabbed 10 boards.

  • Silver Stars forward SOPHIA YOUNG scored a game-high-tying 29 points on 12-of-23 (.522) shooting.

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