Bonner scores 8 of her 34 in OT as Mercury beat Sky 89-87
Jul 29, 2015, 12:09 AM | Updated: 12:12 am
PHOENIX (AP) — DeWanna Bonner scored eight of her season-high 34 points in overtime and the defending champion Phoenix Mercury rallied to beat the Chicago Sky 89-87 on Tuesday night in their first meeting since last year’s WNBA Finals.
Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne missed a jumper with 13 seconds remaining in OT and grabbed her own rebound, but Brittney Griner blocked her putback attempt. Phoenix’s Leilani Mitchell hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.9 seconds left for an 89-87 lead and Delle Donne missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Griner added 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocks for Phoenix (10-7). Monique Currie and Candice Dupree scored 11 apiece.
Phoenix trailed by 19 in the second quarter and rallied to take a seven-point lead in the fourth.
Delle Donne led Chicago (11-7) with 32 points, hitting all 11 of her free throws. Allie Quigley added 14 points and Cappie Pondexter 13.
Chicago went on a 15-0 second-quarter run, with eight points from Pondexter, to take a 42-23 lead. The Mercury went scoreless for five-plus minutes in the quarter and trailed 44-31 at halftime.
Phoenix opened the second half on a 10-0 run after the Sky missed their first 10 shots. Bonner hit a 3 with 1:57 left in the third to give Phoenix a 53-52 lead — its first since it was up 14-13. She had 16 points in the quarter.
In the fourth, Delle Donne converted a three-point play with 4 seconds left in regulation to give Chicago a 78-76 lead. After a timeout, Bonner got Pondexter in the air on a pump fake and made two free throws to tie it. Quigley missed a long shot at the buzzer.
On Monday, Chicago traded center Sylvia Fowles to the Minnesota Lynx as part of a three-team deal. Erika De Souza, acquired by the Sky from Atlanta, scored four points against the Mercury.
