PHOENIX MERCURY 78, CHARLOTTE STING 74

">

The Charlotte Sting knew it would be difficult to continue playing with the intensity that they have shown since the All-Star break, and although they gave it a strong effort on Saturday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, they came up just short and were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury 78-74. The loss snapped their four-game winning streak and gave them a 7-17 record on the season.

Tangela Smith led the way for the Sting, tying a season-high 25 points on 11-20 shooting. Kelly Mazzante gave Charlotte a spark off the bench, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high seven rebounds. Despite fouling out with 2:43 left in the game, Tammy Sutton-Brown was the only other double-digit scorer for the Sting with 11.

The Sting took their first lead of the game with 4:34 remaining on a Tangela Smith three-pointer to put Charlotte ahead 70-69. The teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the game before Diana Taurasi’s lay-up with 27.6 seconds left in the final period put Phoenix up for good. Despite Charlotte’s 14-2 fourth quarter run, the Mercury ended the game on an 8-2 run to seal the victory.

Taurasi scored 27 points to lead the Mercury, and rookie guard Cappie Pondexter chipped in with 17 points. Guard Kelly Miller posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and center Kristen Rasmussen grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Sting started the game slowly, trailing by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. Taurasi scored 10 of her points in the opening stanza, and Rasmussen grabbed six rebounds. Phoenix’s strong defense held the Sting to .353 percent shooting. Of the 16 points the Sting scored in the initial period, 11 were contributed by players off the bench.

The second quarter started the same way, with Charlotte falling behind by as many as 16 points. While Taurasi was held scoreless in the second period, forward Penny Taylor picked up the slack with eight points. Despite Smith’s 13 first half points, the Sting headed into halftime facing a 42-31 deficit.

Charlotte came out of the locker room with new intensity. The Sting shot .529 percent in the third quarter, and held the Mercury to .389 percent shooting, including .167 percent on three-pointers. The Sting’s post combination of Smith and Sutton-Brown combined to score 10 points, and Mazzante scored seven to give Charlotte a strong inside-outside presence.

The Sting came together in the final period, holding the Mercury to .294 percent shooting. Taurasi scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, including five in the final minute, and Pondexter added five to ultimately put the Sting away. They were the only two players to score for Phoenix during the decisive run.

Charlotte’s bench played exceptionally well, outscoring the Mercury’s bench 34-9; however, Phoenix’s starting backcourt outscored Charlotte’s guards 37-2.

Charlotte next plays on Tuesday, July 25 against Minnesota at 7 p.m. at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

HEAD COACH MUGGSY BOGUES SAYS... (On the game) I try to tell the team that you have to be mentally focused for a game like this. You have to be ready for a team that plays zone pretty much the entire game, and takes you out of things that you are generally accustomed to running. But, we did get back in the ballgame. We made some adjustments at halftime, shots started going down, but we gave them too many second chance opportunities that helped to keep them alive. When we finally took the lead, we might have got a little too happy. I think we more or less felt some relief knowing we were able to come back on a team like this, and not only that, but to take the lead. The last three-pointer by (Diana) Taurasi with 54 seconds left in the game was a big play for them. Taurasi just hit a tough shot over Tangela Smith. Then they came back down and hit another big shot. So that was the difference of the ballgame. (On production from starters)We definitely have to get more production from our starters. For whatever reason, the zone threw them out of their rhythm. They weren’t aggressive enough, and they weren’t able to be effective. So we made some adjustments and got more shooters out on the perimeter to open it up to get more shots inside. Unfortunately, Tammy (Sutton-Brown) picked up her sixth foul. She was a big presence down in the post. Luckily, Tangela (Smith) started getting it going and we gained some momentum. You have to come up with those key stops. Even though the game wasn’t the type of game we like to play, we were still in it for the most part and we were able to take the lead when it was crunch time. Things didn’t go the way we wanted them to. They were victorious, and we just have to prepare for Tuesday’s game. (On positives from the game)We definitely had a no die, no quit attitude, and we weren’t going out until it was over with. We kept fighting and kept trying to find our rhythm, and eventually found it. We were able to take a lead within a matter of seconds, but we weren’t able to finish it. When it comes down to it, it all comes down to that one stop that you really need, and we just didn’t get it. (On Diana Taurasi)You can’t cheat her. You have to play her honestly. She is a heck of a player. She is clever, and she has some cockiness to her. You love that in a player and the way she approaches the game. She has a no quit attitude and showed it tonight. (On keeping the momentum after a tough loss)We have to remind ourselves that the game could have went either way. With one stop, we could have been singing a different tune. We have to learn from this. We have had several games like this, but this one is one that you really wish you could have pulled out. We just have to keep fighting. We have ten games left and anything can happen. We just have to continue to play better and keep improving, and that’s what we are going to do until it’s all over with. INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM FORWARD TANGELA SMITH (On the offensive firepower of Phoenix)They just get up and down the court so well with Diana (Taurasi), Cappie (Pondexter), Penny Taylor and Kelly Miller. They have a lot of offensive power, and it’s hard to stop them. You can’t just focus on one player; you have to focus on their whole team. We all needed to play defense collectively, but we didn’t do that tonight. (On the fourth quarter intensity) We showed a lot of intensity. We showed it in the fourth quarter, but we needed to show it the whole game. We didn’t do that, and their All-Star players stepped up for them at the end of the game. We made some crucial mistakes at the end, and we let them get some offensive rebounds. We didn’t put a hand in the face of Diana (Taurasi), and we can’t do that at the end of the game. (On how to play intense for the whole game) We just have to do it. We’ve got to stop saying it, and just do it. That’s something that can’t be taught or worked on. That team is gone; we have to focus on Minnesota now. GUARD KELLY MAZZANTE (On the fourth quarter intensity) We were right there. We had a lot of energy on the defensive end, but we made a couple of mistakes and they got a couple of shots off. We were right there. We fought back. (On helping the team coming off the bench)I try to bring energy, offensively and defensively. Whatever the team needs me to do, I try to do it. (On adjustments before Tuesday’s game) We have a new team coming in on Tuesday, so we have to stay focused.

July 22, 2006 Team 1 2 3 4 TOT PHO 23 19 19 17 78 CHA 16 15 24 19 74 STAR OF THE GAME TANGELA SMITH 25 points 5 rebounds 11-20 FGs 2 blocks 2 steals SUB OF THE GAME KELLY MAZZANTE 13 points 7 rebounds 2 assists STAT OF THE GAME BACKCOURT SCORING Phoenix - 37 Charlotte - 2 HUSTLE BOARD Team REB STL BLK TOT PHO 36 6 3 45 CHA 36 5 5 46