Taurasi takes control, leads Mercury to win

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Diana Taurasi rebounded from her Game 1 flop with 30 points to lead the Phoenix Mercury to a 98-70 victory Saturday, evening the best-of-five series at a game apiece.

Taurasi played just 22 minutes before fouling out with 10 points in Wednesday's 108-100 Detroit victory. But on Saturday the former player of the year at Connecticut stayed out of foul trouble and scored from all over the court, including seven 3-pointers.

Taurasi's long 3-pointer made it 76-44 with less than 3 minutes to play in the third quarter and capped a 15-2 Mercury run. She added eight rebounds and three assists.

The guard's inspired play helped offset the return of forward Cheryl Ford to Detroit's lineup. The four-time All-Star, who missed the first game with a left knee injury, had five points and seven rebounds, but played less than half the game.

Phoenix outscored Detroit in the first three quarters and played most of the fourth without its starters.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.

Losing big in the finals isn't necessarily a bad thing for Detroit. A year ago, the Shock dropped two games to Sacramento by 24 and 20 points, yet still claimed their second title in four years.

Cappie Pondexter and Tangela Smith added 18 points each for the Mercury.

Only two members of the Shock scored in double figures: Deanna Nolan with 12 and captain Swin Cash, who had 10.