On Friday night, center Brittney Griner achieved another double-double performance to help lead the Phoenix Mercury to their second win of the WNBA season. The game, which was held at San Antonio's AT&T Center, featured the winless Stars in their home opener.
Fans had been hoping that it might feature the official on-court debut of the top draft pick, Kelsey Plum, but she remained out of action due to injury. Meanwhile, Diana Taurasi and Danielle Robinson helped lead the Mercury to victory. Here's a look at how Phoenix got the big win on the road Friday night and what's up next for each team.
Griner's big night
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner dominated once again. This time around she finished with a team-high 20 points and snatched 13 rebounds. Griner was 7-for-12 from the floor for her field goal shooting and also recorded four blocked shots in the win. Her performance was the biggest standout for the team in a game which saw the Mercury shoot a dismal 34.9 percent overall.
Diana Taurasi was just 3-for-14 and finished with 17 points thanks to her two three-pointers made, and 9-of-10 free throws. Danielle Robinson finished with 12 points but was just 3-for-10. Meanwhile, Leilani Mitchell came off the bench to get 14 points which included her going a perfect 3-of-3 on her three-point shot attempts.
San Antonio actually shot slightly better than Phoenix at 36.6 percent and out-rebounded them 41-37. However, the Stars couldn't make a late comeback. Kayla McBride returned to action for her team after being away from an overseas basketball tournament. She finished with 14 points, five boards, three assists, and two steals off the bench.
Center Isabella Harrison led all Stars' players with 16 points, while forward Alex Montgomery had seven points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
Phoenix is currently sitting at fourth overall in the Western standings behind Dallas (1-0), Los Angeles (1-0) and Minnesota (2-0). The San Antonio Stars are in a place that is familiar territory since last season: the absolute bottom of the standings.
They'll still have some hope for better things to come as they wait for their injured top draft pick Kelsey Plum to finally make her debut in a game this season.
What's up next?
Friday night's win puts the Phoenix Mercury at 2-1 for their season and 1-0 on the road. Next up for them will be a home game on Tuesday, May 23rd at 10 p.m. Eastern Time against the New York Liberty.
San Antonio is still winless for their season as they now hold a 0-3 record overall. The Stars will try to bounce back when they take on the Dallas Wings on Thursday, May 25th starting at 12 p.m. Eastern Time.