Rookie of the year Crystal Dangerfield scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half and Minnesota beat Phoenix 80-79 on Thursday night to advance to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs. With no timeouts left, the Mercury got the ball up the court bur Skylar Diggins-Smith's shot was off the mark at the buzzer. The loss was the first in eight career single-elimination playoff games for Diana Taurasi, She had 28 points and nine assists to lead the Mercury. Taurasi converted consecutive four-point plays to get the Mercury within one before Odyssey Sims' basket made it 80-77 with 2:31 to go. It’s great when you win and terrible when you lose," Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said.

Source: Fox News September 18, 2020 01:52 UTC