DeWanna Bonner had 23 points, Mercury beat Liberty 96-85

Aug 20, 2018, 01:36 am

PHOENIX -- DeWanna Bonner had 23 points and 10 rebounds to help the Phoenix Mercury beat New York 96-85 on Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams, sending the Liberty to their 13th straight loss.

Stephanie Talbot added 18 points, and Diana Taurasi had 16. The fifth-seeded Mercury (20-14) will host the eighth-seeded Dallas Wings on Tuesday night in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

Phoenix took the lead for good late in the first half and extended the 19-3 run into the third quarter for a 63-49 lead. The Mercury then built to their largest lead at 80-59 and kept the advantage in double digits the rest of the way.

Kia Nurse had 22 of her 28 points in the first half for the Liberty (7-27). Rebecca Allen added 15 points, and Kiah Stokes had 12 points and nine rebounds.