WASHINGTON (AP) — Brittney Griner had 23 points and seven rebounds, Kahleah Copper scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Washington Mystics 96-87 on Tuesday.
Copper scored six straight points in the fourth and Natasha Cloud capped the 8-0 run for an 82-72 lead with 5:09 left.
Washington guard Ariel Atkins stole it from Diana Taurasi and raced the other way for a layup while being fouled. Atkins completed the three-point play with 2:43 left to get within 87-83 following an 8-0 run. But Phoenix made a shot on its next three possessions, capped by Sophie Cunningham’s 3-pointer for a 94-85 lead.
Phoenix sealed it when Taurasi blocked a Myisha Hines-Allen shot and Copper converted a fast-break layup at the other end for a 96-87 lead with 22.6 left.
STORM 89, SPARKS 83
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jewell Loyd had 30 points and seven assists, Nneka Ogwumike added 23 points, 10 rebounds and six steals against her former team, and Seattle beat Los Angeles.
Seattle (17-8), which played a game on the road for the first time since June 19, closed the first half of the season by winning eight of 10 games.
Loyd and Ogwumike combined to score 20 of Seattle’s 25 fourth-quarter points.
Ogwumike, who played her first game in Los Angeles since signing with the Storm as a free agent in February, made a driving layup with 2:20 left in the fourth to move past Lisa Leslie for 12th on the WNBA career scoring list.
Loyd finished 8 of 18 from the field and 11 of 16 from the free-throw line to reach the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season
LIBERTY 82, SUN 74
NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 30 points and short-handed New York beat Connecticut.
It was the last game before the month-long Olympic break for both teams.
The game was tied heading into the fourth quarter before Ionescu hit a 3-pointer to start the final period and give New York (21-4) back the lead it had held for the entire game. That sparked a 10-3 run which gave the Liberty a 73-66 lead midway through the period.
Connecticut (18-6) twice got within four, but both times Jonquel Jones answered with baskets against her former team. The Sun could get no closer.
SKY 93, ACES 85
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chennedy Carter scored 34 points, Angel Reese had 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 16th double-double in the last 17 games, and Chicago beat Las Vegas.
Chicago led 42-21 at the midway point of the second quarter and held the advantage until Megan Gustafson made a 3-pointer from the corner with 8:16 remaining in the fourth to give the Aces their first lead of the game at 72-71.
Carter put Chicago ahead for good, 80-79, on a basket while being fouled with 3:23 left. She missed the free throw, but Chicago grabbed the offensive rebound and Carter made another shot for a three-point lead. Carter also scored on Chicago’s next two possessions to make it 86-81.
Reese secured her double-double with 1:32 left in the fourth when she elevated to grab a rebound and put up a shot before landing on the floor for an 88-81 lead. The Sky made 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal it.
