Mercury Take Tough Battle Against Wings


ARLINGTON, TX – The Wings fell at home to the Phoenix Mercury, 75-72, despite five players scoring in double figures led by three-time All-Star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith who led the team in scoring for the fifth time this season with 16 points.

The Wings raced out to 14-8 lead midway through the first quarter as all five starters scored in the first five minutes of the game. Kayla Thornton led the Wings in the opening period with eight points, as she knocked in a pair of three-pointers and giving the Wings a 24-16 advantage after one quarter.

Leading by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, the Wings secured a 40-37 lead heading into the locker room after a late 5-0 Mercury run closed the gap. Thornton led the Wings in the first half, scoring 10 points on 3-for-4 from the field. Liz Cambage, Allisha Gray and Skylar Diggins-Smith each scored seven first-half points.

The Mercury came out of the locker room strong and took a 48-45 lead before the Wings used a 12-0 run to pull ahead by 11 – their largest lead of the game. Gray and Diggins-Smith led the Wings after three quarters with 13 points each.

After Cambage fouled out with eight minutes to play, the Mercury used a 6-0 run to regain the lead, 66-65. The Wings took the lead back late in the fourth quarter with an Azurá Stevens free throw before the Mercury ended the game on a 4-0 run to defeat the Wings, 75-72, after a shot at the buzzer from Diggins-Smith just missed the mark.

In addition to Diggins-Smith’s team high of 16, Allisha Gray recorded 13 points on 4-for-5 from the field, while Thornton scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Cambage and Johnson both added 10 points.

The Mercury were led by the WNBA all-time leading scorer, Diana Taurasi, who poured in a game-high 21 points on 4-for-12 from the field, including a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line.

The Wings return to action on Friday to take on the Las Vegas Aces in College Park Center at 7 p.m. for the final game of their two-game homestand.