Mercury defeats Shock 123-91 in record setting game

It was a record-setting night for the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night at the BOK Center as they handed the Tulsa Shock a 123-91 loss in front of 3,333 fans. The Mercury posted their fourth win of the season against the Shock, setting WNBA records along the way. Phoenix set the league record for most points scored in a game for the second time this season, while also setting the mark for most points in a single quarter, most points in a half and most field goals made in a half. 

The previous game-high mark was 116 points which they set in a June 12 contest with Tulsa. Phoenix has either tied or set the record ten times. 

Diana Taurasi led six double-digit scorers for Phoenix with 26 points. "We're just trying to find ourselves and play solid basketball, tonight I think we did a good job of that," said Taurasi of the 9-12 defending champion Mercury. "We had a lot of people touching the ball and we did a good job defensively against them (Tulsa) which we didn't necessarily do last week.     

"They are a team that can go a long, long way because they're very good in all of their strengths," said Shock head coach Nolan Richardson. "We were just worn out from those three games that we played. We played tough games with Phoenix, San Antonio and the final game with L.A.," Richardson said of a recent road swing during which Tulsa played three games in three different cities in just five days.

Phoenix was 56 percent from the field in the first quarter as they held a 31-21 lead at the break, they finished the game with a percentage of 56.8. Candice Dupree led all scorers with 12 first-quarter points, including a layup with one second left to give the Mercury a 10-point lead. Kara Braxton scored seven points within a two minute span to lead all Shock players.

Ivory Latta struck first at the 8:46 mark, putting Tulsa up 2-0. From there, Tangela Smith reeled off seven points during a 13-4 Mercury run to put Phoenix ahead by seven. The Shock shot a respectable 50 percent from the field in the opening frame.

Taurasi and crew turned up the heat in the second quarter, outscoring the Shock 36-20 and taking a 67-41 lead into the locker room at the half. The 67 point first half for Phoenix broke the WNBA record for most points scored in a half. Tauasi was 4-for-6 from the field en route to 13 second-quarter points and at one point went on her own 8-0 run.

Taurasi and Dupree each had 16 points while Smith added 11 for the Mercury. Shanna Crossley chipped in five points for the Shock to up her total to seven. Braxton led all Shock players at halftime with nine points.

The 36 second-quarter points from Phoenix marked the most points scored in a single quarter while the 25 field goals made in the first half tied a record.

Phoenix powered onward in the third quarter, expanding their lead to 35 points with seven seconds remaining on a layup from Ketia Swanier. Taurasi added 10 points and Dupree scored seven before being replaced late in the quarter. Braxton led the Shock with six points while Jennifer Lacy and Amber Holt have five each as Phoenix maintained a 99-66 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Shock went on to outscore the Mercury 25-24 in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done as Phoenix claimed the 32 point win. The Mercury held a 39 point lead with just over two minutes remaining before the Shock finished the game on an 11-4 run. The 39 point deficit is the largest in Shock franchise history.

"When you look at your ball club and they're just trying with every ounce of energy that they've got left, it's a disaster when you're watching it and you can't do anything to stop it," said Richardson. "It was a tough match tonight.

The Shock (4-18) will hit the road Sunday to attempt to derail the 10-game winning streak of the Western Conference leading Seattle Storm (19-2) at 8 p.m. They return home Tuesday for a special matinee tip-off at 12:30 p.m. against the Atlanta Dream (14-9).

        1     

        2 

        3 

        4 

        F 

Phoenix 

        31 

        36 

        32 

        24 

        123 

Tulsa 

        21 

        20 

        25 

        25 

        91 

Attendance: 3,333. Officials: Tony Dawkins, Clarke Stevens, Lamont Simpson. Time of game: 1:52. 

Phoenix (46/81, 56.8%) -Taurasi 26, Dupree 23, Swanier 17, T. Smith 13, Bonner 11, Taylor 10, Ohlde 8, B. Smith 6, Lilley 4, Johnson 3, Holmes 2.

Tulsa (33/79, 41.8%) - Braxton 18, Crossley 12, Lacy 11, Latta 10, Holt 10, Robinson 8, Black 7, Jackson 6, Brown 6, Jones 3.