PHOENIX — Kahleah Copper scored 11 of her 24 points in the third quarter, Diana Taurasi had 20 points, five 3-pointers and six assists, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Los Angeles Sparks 92-78 on Friday night.
Copper scored 10 points in the opening six minutes of the second half to help Phoenix build a 63-55 lead.
Sophie Cunningham made a wide-open 3-pointer to begin Phoenix's 7-1 run that ended in a 72-62 lead at the end of the third. The Mercury opened the fourth on an 8-2 spurt to extend their lead to 80-64.
Natasha Cloud highlighted the fourth with a full-court pass to find Copper in stride for a layup and an 87-70 lead.
Brittney Griner had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Cloud added 14 points and seven assists for Phoenix (9-8).
Dearica Hamby tied a career-high with 29 points for Los Angeles (4-14), which played the last of a seven-game road trip. Rickea Jackson added 14 points and Aari McDonald had 12 points and 10 assists.
Hamby made her first four 3-pointers to set a career high for makes in a game. She finished the half with 21 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, to help Los Angeles lead 45-44. Taurasi made four of her five 3-pointers in the first half and paced Phoenix with 16 points.
___
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.
12Sports on YouTube
Get the latest news and stories from 12Sports on the 12News YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe!
