Sunday's WNBA action featured three games on the slate, including the Washington Mystics hosting the Phoenix Mercury. Both teams suffered recent losses and were looking for a bounce back win. For the Mystics, they would need to get that "W" without the help of their star guard Elena Delle Donne. Luckily, fellow guard Kristi Toliver stepped up again and led the way to an 85-80 win in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. Here's the latest Mercury vs. Mystics game recap including top performers, game stats, and what's up next for the two teams.
Toliver leads the way
For the Washington Mystics, Kristi Toliver stepped up and scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting which included her making three of the seven 3-point shots she took. She also recorded three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Helping out in the win was Center Emma Meesseman who had 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting to go with seven boards. Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 17 points, snatched five boards and dished out three assists.
On the losing side, the Phoenix Mercury received 16 points from the league's top scorer in history, Diana Taurasi. She shot 5-for-16 and hit just three of 10 3-pointers she attempted. Teammates Angel Robinson and Monique Currie scored 14 points each, while Yvonne Turner had 15 for her stat sheet.
Currie also had eight rebounds and five assists off the bench.
The Mercury shot 43.9 percent for the day including a 34.8 percent rate from three-point range. Washington shot at a rate of 43.7 percent overall and also 34.8 percent from downtown. However, the home team outrebounded Phoenix by a staggering 42-26 for the game.
Washington took a 43-38 lead into halftime, with Phoenix trying to stay close as they came back in the second half.
The Mercury outscored the Mystics 21-18 in the third quarter, but a 24-21 fourth was good enough for the home team to escape with their ninth win at Verizon Center this season. The Mystics are now 9-2 overall when playing on their home court.
What's up next?
Today's win was a big one for the Washington Mystics as they are now 15-10 in the Eastern Conference.
They're still about a half game behind the Connecticut Sun for the conference lead. Next up for the Mystics is another home game as they host the Indiana Fever on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Phoenix Mercury (13-12) have now lost two-straight but are still at the No. 5 spot for the top eight teams in the league. Only the eight teams with the best winning percentages qualify for the WNBA postseason. The Mercury will be on the road on Thursday when they face the Wings in Dallas. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time with ESPN2 providing national TV coverage.