PHOENIX — Kahleah Copper scored a career-high 38 points and combined with Sophie Cunningham for the last 16 points as the Phoenix Mercury recovered after losing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to beat the Atlanta Dream 88-85 on Saturday night.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus had 11 points and Allisha Gray 10 in the fourth quarter as the Dream, down 70-60 with 8:43 to play, charged back to lead 81-74 at the 4:11 mark. A layup by Parker-Tyus produced Atlanta's first lead of the game at 73-72.
Cunningham answered with a 3-pointer and Copper's four free throws pulled the Mercury within 83-81 with 1 1/2 minutes to play. Following an offensive foul on Tina Charles, Copper found Cunningham on the left side for a 3-pointer and the lead with 1:11 to play. Natasha Cloud then blocked a Rhyne Howard attempt and Copper converted that into a layup for an 86-83 lead at 28.1 seconds.
Parker-Tyus made it a one-point game again but Copper answered and Howard missed a a 3-point try for the tie.
Diana Taurasi had 15 points and Cunningham 10 for the Mercury (1-1), who gave Nate Tibbetts his first win in the WNBA.
Gray finished with 22 points, Howard had 21 and Parker-Tyus 18 for the Dream (1-1)
Phoenix led from the outset, scoring the first seven points and leading 24-15 after one quarter and 43-37 at the half.
Copper and Taurasi combined for 23 points but Howard kept the Dream in it with 17, going 4 of 5 on 3-pointers.
Atlanta closed the third quarter with a 7-2 run to clip another point off the Phoenix lead and trailed 65-60 going into the fourth quarter, despite Copper scoring 16 of the 22 Mercury points.
At halftime the Mercury unveiled banners for their Ring of Honor members: first coach and general manager Cheryl Miller and players Penny Taylor, Bridget Pettis, Jennifer Gillom and Michele Timms. Four were inducted to the team's Hall of Fame in 2006 while Taylor, who along with Taurasi played on all three Mercury championship teams, was inducted in 2017.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events every year, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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