Brittney Griner records multiple dunks in Mercury loss
May 28, 2013, 12:51 AM | Updated: 12:51 am
Yes, Brittney Griner dunked.
Twice.
The first one happened with 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, one-handed on a pass from Charde Houston.
The second one occurred five and a half minutes later, picking up a loose ball in the backcourt and taking it to the basket with both hands.
“(The first one) I was wide open,” Griner said. “My teammates did a great job in finding me and getting me the ball. Then that second one, I don’t know. I don’t even remember how I got it. I just saw the ball go up and I just went for it.”
Each dunk brought the sold out crowd to its feet.
It’s what the 10,200 fans came to see on a Monday Memorial Day afternoon at US Airways Center, a crowd that included Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, as well as former Suns stars Grant Hill and Jason Richardson.
Each dunk, however, cut the deficit to 22.
“Yeah, wish it was in a win,” Griner said, “but whenever I can dunk, the crowd got into it, so that was good.”
But not good enough.
The Mercury, given all the preseason hype, dropped their 2013 opener to the Chicago Sky, 102-80.
“Didn’t go as planned,” Griner said.
Foul trouble limited the No. 1 overall pick to only 7:25 of court time in the first half. She did not see the floor in the second quarter.
“Foul trouble will happen. It is part of the game,” said Diana Taurasi, who led the Mercury with 18 points. “But the way she came out in the second half was good news. If we can get two halves of that then we have a chance at winning some games.”
Griner scored 15 of her 17 points, grabbed six of her eight rebounds and had three of her four blocked shots in the second half.
And yes, those two dunks. Griner became the first player in WNBA history to record multiple dunks in the same game. She has already tied the league record for most career dunks.
Griner can’t dunk, though, if she isn’t playing.
“Stay on the floor,” Griner said of what she learned from her debut. “Keep my feet on the floor. I’m already tall. I don’t need to jump.”
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