Brittney Griner became Phoenix Mercury’s career leader in doubles doubles on Tuesday night, and that wasn’t even the best part of a 91-70 win over the Washington Mystics.
The Mercury hit a season high of 11 3-pointers and scored the most rebounds in regulatory franchise history to end a challenging season opener road trip 2-1.
They broke to the top 8-0 and were left without a residue. Towards the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, they parted ways with a 15-2 run that allowed an already productive bank to have even more playing time in the final 8:25.
All five starters scored a double-digit goal for the second time in the young season, as did reserve Sophie Cunningham, who failed to play in a loss to Connecticut on Sunday.
Griner (14 points / 10 rebounds) and Brianna Turner (10/14) had doubles for the second time and won 24 of the 50 boards of the Mercury. The only higher rebound numbers for Phoenix were in double overtime games in 2012 and 2014.
“We know a rebound will be a big part of our success this year,” said Turner, who set a team record with 12 boards in the first half. “We want to make sure we crash the boards, whether it’s offensive or defensive, and make them available to our guards so we can move them forward in transition.”
With her 43rd double-doubles career in her ninth WNBA season, Griner passed her former teammate DeWanna Bonner. In the second half she scored a more effective result with nine of her 14 points and continued to show a stronger recovery than in the past.
“We both had doubles doubles in our wins, so we’ll have to keep doing that all season,” said Turner. “Obviously, BG is just so dominant. However, I will come for her (record) so she has to take care of me. I am so proud of her. I learn something from her every time I play. She’s such a great leader too. It’s great to see how she accomplishes these things. “
The 6-3 gymnast has a long way to go in her third season to challenge the 6-9 griner as a goalscorer. But as a constant rebounder, she is ahead of Griner and in the same league as a shot blocker. Both are WNBA All-Defensive Team Candidates, a focus for a team that has few problems with scoring.
Wing Kia Nurse called Turner an “absolute monster on the boards”. It’s a lot about how she plays the ball, how she reads it, how it comes from the edge and how the shot is selected. She’s really smart at it. We played against each other so it was more annoying. Now I’m happy to be on the same page with her.
“She cleans up the glass very well so we can create additional possessions. It gives us a chance to get off and run in transition where we are pretty good. “
Actually very good as guards Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and others are always ready to throw the soccer bomb on grazing players like Nurse, Cunningham and even Turner.
Shey Peddy’s long feed to Cunningham was part of the late third quarter run that turned a 61-55 lead into 69-57 at the end of the period. At the start of the third round, Griner put the ball on the court, resulting in a Turner layup, assisted by Diggins-Smith.
The Mercury starters averaged 63 points, led by Taurasi at 17. Cunningham had 12 to lead the bank production of 28, well above the Mystics’ 16.
“I’m not going to lie, I shit if I have patience,” said Cunningham when skipping a game. “But I know the work I’ve done and I trust it. I have to stay ready because I don’t know when my number will be called. I was ready tonight and I have to stay that way. I’m a lively little player and sometimes our team needs a little liveliness. “
The superstar striker Elena Delle Donne, who is still recovering from a back operation, is missing in Washington (0-2). Center Tina Charles led with a double-double (22/12) and Natasha Cloud scored 18.
Seattle takes AP Power Poll lead
In this week’s WNBA power poll from the Associated Press, Seattle is first followed by Chicago and the chairman of the preseason poll in Las Vegas, which opened with a loss to the storm.
The Mercury are in fifth place behind Connecticut and Minnesota in sixth place.
Washington tops the bottom half of the poll, followed by Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Indiana. The Sparks fell from seventh to ninth after losing 94-71 to Dallas.
Next
The Mercury home opener is on Friday at 7 p.m., a rematch against Connecticut that will bring F DeWanna Bonner back to Phoenix for the first time since her 10-year run with the Mercury.
More:Bonner, January, comes back to watch Mercury win in Connecticut
More:Diana Taurasi hits the game-winning 3-pointer in the Mercury season opening win
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