Mercury Tops Japan
�It takes time,� Corey Gaines said after the Mercury�s 102-73 win over the Japanese National Team on Tuesday night.
That�s probably the best way to describe it.
While it�s hard to find many negatives in a near 30-point victory, it felt a bit different than a typical Phoenix Mercury basketball game.
To be fair, even though 11 players were available, the team could still be considered short-handed. DeWanna Bonner and Candice Dupree both arrived in Phoenix yesterday, but haven�t practiced with the team (both were on the bench cheering the Mercury on). Diana Taurasi made a special trip in to support her teammates but will be heading to Seattle shortly for USA Basketball obligations. Alexis Hornbuckle also didn�t suit up as she is still nursing a left foot sprain.
Making up for the scoring gap was returning guard Alexis Gray-Lawson. She exploded for a game-high 34 points on 11 of 21 shooting. Rookie Sammy Prahalis led the team with seven assists while Avery Warley and Zane Tamane each paced the team with 13 boards.
�I just wanted to come out and do whatever I could to help the team,� said the humble Gray-Lawson. �I knew we needed someone to step up and carry the scoring load, but I�m just happy we got the win.�
Collectively, the Mercury shot 46.8 percent from the field and made 23 of 27 free-throws. They out-rebounded Japan 54 to 20 and forced the team into just 39 percent shooting from the floor.
Still, there is a lot of room for improvement.
�We didn�t really play that well,� said Corey Gaines. �We didn�t push the pace and had too many turnovers. Still, there were a lot of things we did that we can build on. It�s just going to take time.�
Sammy Prahalis (7) and Andrea Riley (6) combined for 13 of the Mercury�s 20 assists on the night.
�I feel like I could do a lot better,� Prahalis said when asked about her first WNBA game. �I think it will take some time to adjust but I�ll get better.�
Positives
46.8 percent shooting
7-15 three-pointers
+24 rebound advantage
46 points in the paint
Negatives
17 turnovers leading to 15 points
Only 11 fast-break points
High assist-to-turnover ratio (20/17)
(Modified) Box Score
Charde Houston: 14 points, 6-12 shooting, 26 minutes
Avery Warley: 8 points, 13 rebounds, 29 minutes
Nakia Sanford: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 9 minutes
Alexis Gray-Lawson: 34 points, 7 rebounds, 34 minutes
Andrea Riley: 10 points, 6 assists, 21 minutes
Sammy Prahalis: 7 points, 7 assists, 18 minutes
Zane Tamane: 6 points, 13 rebounds, 27 minutes
Krystal Thomas: 7 points, 8 rebounds, 13 minutes
Chastity Reed: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 20 minutes