Phoenix, AZ– The Wings fell to the Phoenix Mercury in their opening game of the 2018 season, 86-78, despite four players scoring in double figures, including Liz Cambage and Skylar Diggins-Smith who each scored 18 points.

The Wings quickly took a 6-2 lead behind two baskets from Cambage, but Phoenix used a 7-0 to take the lead. A 7-0 Wings run pulled the team in front, but the Mercury fought back to take a 20-18 lead after the first quarter.

The Mercury started the second quarter on fire, but the Wings battled back to take a 39-36 lead midway through the second quarter. Kaela Davis and Cambage each scored eight points in the second quarter to keep the Wings in the game, while Glory Johnson added five points in the quarter.

Cambage led the scoring for the Wings with 14 points at the break, but the Mercury took a 44-42 lead into the locker room behind Diana Taurasi’s 20 first half points.

After a Johnson layup to tie the game at the beginning of the third quarter, the Mercury outscored the Wings 17-7 for the remaining of the quarter to take a 61-53 lead into the final period. Taurasi lead all scorers after three quarters with 23 points and drilled her 1,000th career three-pointer – the first WNBA player to ever reach the milestone.

Phoenix used a 17-5 run to extend out to a 14-point lead, their largest lead of the game. The Wings fought back to within eight, but it wasn’t enough. The Mercury cruised to an 86-78 victory behind Diana Taurasi’s game-high 26 points. Cambage scored 18 points and added nine boards, while Diggins-Smith scored 18 points and dished out nine assists. Johnson added 12 points and nine rebounds despite exiting the game with an injury with 4:11 to go in the game.