TULSA, Okla. â€" Diana Taurasi scored 17 points, Penny Taylor added 16 and the Phoenix Mercury held off the Tulsa Shock, 86-78 on Friday night.
Kara Braxton scored 11 points and DeWanna Bonner had 10 points and 11 rebounds to help the Mercury (7-4) get their third straight win and sixth in their last seven.
Elizabeth Cambage scored 19 points, including 7 for 8 on free throws, and Tiffany Jackson added 15 for the Shock (1-10). Kayla Pedersen had 13 points and Sheryl Swoopes scored 10 for Tulsa.
The Mercury had a 34-6 edge in fastbreak points.
Jackson scored six in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the fourth quarter to key a 11-2 run that pulled the Shock to 78-71 with 7:15 to play.
During that stretch, Taurasi was whistled for a technical foul, leaving the game with 8:33 to play. She returned nearly 4 minutes later.
Neither team scored again until Bonner's layup with 3:29 remaining. Phoenix missed five shots and had four turnovers during that stretch, and Tulsa had four missed shots and two turnovers.
Taylor had three consecutive baskets and Bonner made two free throws to give the Mercury a 43-34 lead with 2:09 to go in the second quarter.
Taylor made two from the line to cap a 12-0 run that bridged the second and third quarters to stretch Phoenix's advantage to 55-39.
Olayinka Sanni's jumper with 2:01 to go in the third put the Mercury up 70-52, their biggest lead of the game - and they matched it several times.
The Associated Press
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