Star of the Game
Sophia Young	26 POINTS
	8 REBOUNDS
	2 BLOCKS

PHOENIX (AP) Sophia Young scored 10 of her 26 points in the third quarter, leading the San Antonio Silver Stars to a 97-87 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.

The Western Conference-leading Silver Stars (16-7) scored the first seven points of the second half and went on a 14-4 run during the third quarter to open up a 75-61 lead.

Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi each had 23 points for the Mercury (9-12), who have lost three straight and five of six. The duo - the top two scorers in the league - were a combined 10-of-29 from the field going into the final quarter. Taurasi hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes to cut the Silver Stars' lead to 91-85 with 1:06 left but Phoenix could not get closer.

San Antonio has won eight of nine, the only loss coming Monday night at Los Angeles.

Becky Hammon scored 19 points and Ann Wauters and Erin Buescher each added 15 for San Antonio, which leads the West by a game over Seattle. The defending WNBA champion Mercury fell into a tie for last in the conference with Houston.

The Silver Stars held Phoenix to 5-of-24 shooting in the third quarter after having trailed by as much as 10 in the first half. San Antonio outrebounded the Mercury 27-16 in the second half.

Young was 7-for-8 from the field during a stretch of the second half to help San Antonio pull away.