Indiana Fever at Phoenix Mercury

Mercury's skid hits 10 despite Diana Taurasi's return

Katie Douglas added 16 points and six rebounds for Indiana (14-8), which has won four of its last five games and moved three games behind first-place Connecticut in the Eastern Conference.

Diana Taurasi, in just her third game with the Mercury (4-19) this season, scored 19 points. It was Taurasi's first game for Phoenix since leading the U.S. to a fifth straight gold medal at the Olympics.

Taurasi missed the first half of the season while recovering from a hip flexor. Once she returned from the Olympic break, she was sidelined when a wisdom tooth was removed.

Even with their star back, Phoenix couldn't end its skid.

The Fever ran off seven straight points early in the fourth quarter to pull away after Phoenix had gotten within 62-56 with 9:33 remaining. Indiana hit 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter to lengthen their lead.

Tamika Catchings had 12 points, six assists and two blocked shots for Indiana. Jessica Davenport added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Fever led by as much as 10 in the first half but Taurasi hit a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the second half to cut the Fever lead to 35-34.

However, Shavonte Zellous sparked a 7-0 run and the Mercury never got closer than four.

Indiana, which is on pace to set a league mark in 3-pointers this season, made 9-of-20 from outside the line.

DeWanna Bonner had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mercury, who again played without three injured regulars. Phoenix regulars Candice Dupree (knee), Alexis Gray-Lawson (knee) and Charde Houston (ankle) all sat out on Thursday with injuries. Penny Taylor has missed the entire season while recovering from a torn ACL injury.

Regular Season Series

IND wins series 2-0