SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Brittney Griner had 20 points and 13 rebounds for her second straight double-double, Diana Taurasi added 17 points and the Phoenix Mercury beat the San Antonio Stars 78-72 on Friday night.
Phoenix controlled the first half and led 44-34 at the break behind Griner’s 13 points. San Antonio went on a 10-2 run at the start of the third quarter to pull to 46-44 but the Stars went scoreless for the next two-plus minutes.
Leilani Mitchell sank an open 3-pointer from the corner with 51 seconds left for a 78-70 lead and she finished with 14 points for Phoenix (2-1). Danielle Robinson scored 12 points with five assists against her former team.
Taurasi was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line and Griner equaled her 2016 double-double total.
Second-year player Isabelle Harrison scored a career-high 16 points for San Antonio (0-3). Kayla McBride added 14 points in her season debut after finishing play in the Turkish League. Top pick Kelsey Plum and Moriah Jefferson did not play for the Stars.
Phoenix scored the first seven points, pushed it to 15-6 and led 25-13 after the first quarter. The Stars were just 4-of-19 shooting (21 percent) in the quarter.
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