Seattle, WA – Tanisha Wright scored a game-high 20 points and the Seattle Storm edged Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury, 75-72, on Sunday at Key Arena.
Wright shot 7-for-11 from the field and dropped in 13 of her points in the second half to help the Storm rebound from their season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. Camile Little poured in 13 and Shekinna Stricklen added 11.
In her second professional game, Griner tallied 17 points, seven boards and three blocks, but her efforts weren't enough to keep the Mercury from dropping a second straight contest to start the campaign.
Candice Dupree scored 18 points, DeWanna Bonner had 11 and Diana Taurasi finished with 10 in the setback.
Phoenix led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but saw its lead cut to 38-35 by the break. The Storm then took control midway through the third with a 13-2 run, with Temeka Johnson's triple providing a 53-44 edge for Seattle.
A jumper from Taurasi with 2:31 left in the game brought Phoenix within 68-67, but a basket from Noelle Quinn and a 3-pointer from Little created a six-point spread with under a minute remaining to secure the victory for Seattle.
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