SEATTLE — Jewell Loyd scored 20 points, Jordan Horston added 16 on 7-of-8 shooting and Skylar Diggins-Smith had a double-double to help the Seattle Storm beat the Phoenix Mercury 90-66 Saturday night.
Diggins-Smith finished with 12 points and 11 assists and Nneka Ogwumike scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Seattle (21-14). The Storm are 1 1/2 games behind Las Vegas for the No. 4 seed. Phoenix is 1 1/2 games behind Indiana for the sixth seed.
Horston made a hook shot that gave the Storm the lead for good with almost 8 minutes left in the second quarter and sparked a 17-4 run. Horston scored seven more points while Diggins-Smith and Sami Whitcomb each hit a 3-pointer in the spurt that pushed Seattle's lead to 36-23 with 3:17 left in the first half.
Horston, who scored in double figures for the first time since prior to the monthlong break for the Paris Olympics, poured in 11 points as Seattle outscored the Mercury 28-13 in the second quarter to take a 15-point lead into halftime.
Diana Taurasi led Phoenix (17-19) with 18 points. Kahleah Copper added 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
Seattle hit 12 3-pointers — including three apiece by Whitcomb, Diggins-Smith and Loyd — and committed just six turnovers.
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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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