The Connecticut Sun signed guard Katie Douglas last offseason for her shooting and veteran leadership. Those two showed down the stretch of Connecticut’s 96-95 victory over the Phoenix Mercury. Douglas scored all nine Sun points in a 9-2 run that broke a tie at 85.
Douglas finished the game with 16 points and was four of five from 3-point land. She was not the only Connecticut player who was hot from downtown, as the team collectively nailed 10 of their 13 long range attempts. One of these trifectas came at the end of the first half and another came as the final buzzer sounded in the third quarter.
"They made two 3s at the end of a half and a quarter, and 10-for-13 (from 3-point range) is tough because we had them 50-30 in the paint and had a chance to win the game in the end," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said, reports The Associated Press. "It just didn't fall our way."
After trailing by seven with less than three minutes to go, Phoenix pulled within one point when forward DeWanna Bonner knocked down two free throws with 42 seconds remaining.
Connecticut guard Alex Bentley was then whistled for an offensive foul, which gave the Mercury the ball with 25 seconds left. Forward Candice Dupree and center Brittney Griner both missed potential go-ahead shots in the closing seconds of the contest.
Bentley netted a game-high 22 points. Rookie forward Chiney Ogwumike amassed 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Dupree led the Mercury with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Diana Taurasi tallied 19 points and six assists. Griner posted 18 points and six boards, according to WNBA.com.
Both teams sit two games out in their conferences. The Mercury are 6-3, and the Sun are 4-6.