San Antonio Stars at Phoenix Mercury
· Women's National Basketball Association
Griner scores 23 in 1st home game, Mercury beats Stars
Phoenix led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but Danielle Robinson's fastbreak layup with 1:42 remaining pulled San Antonio within 81-78. On Phoenix's next possession, Griner put back her own miss for a five-point lead.
Candice Dupree added 19 points and Leilani Mitchell had 16, including four 3-pointers, for Phoenix (4-5). The Mercury avoided their first three-game losing streak since 2013. DeWanna Bonner scored 13 to move into third place on the Mercury's all-time scoring list, passing Jennifer Gillon.
Dupree scored 11 points in the first quarter and the Mercury made 11 of 14 field goals (79 percent) to lead by 11. Griner scored 11 points in the third quarter.
Sophia Young-Malcolm and Kayla McBride scored 18 points apiece for San Antonio (2-7), which had its two-game winning streak stopped.
San Antonio played without Jia Perkins (calf), Jayne Appel (mouth injury) and Alex Montgomery (knee). On June 25, Perkins made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 24 seconds left to beat Phoenix 76-71 for the team's first win of the season.
Regular Season Series
PHX wins series 3-1
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 78 - 85 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 78 - 85 |
| 4th 13.0 |  |
Monique Currie defensive rebound | 78 - 85 |
| 4th 14.0 |  |
Sophia Young-Malcolm misses two point shot | 78 - 85 |
| 4th 25.0 | |
Candice Dupree makes 19-foot two point shot | 78 - 85 |
Statistics
 SA |
 PHX |
|
|---|---|---|
| 28-65 | FG | 34-57 |
| 43 | Field Goal % | 60 |
| 6-15 | 3PT | 4-11 |
| 40 | Three Point % | 36 |
| 16-17 | FT | 13-16 |
| 94 | Free Throw % | 81 |
| 24 | Rebounds | 27 |
| 6 | Offensive Rebounds | 4 |
| 18 | Defensive Rebounds | 23 |
| 17 | Assists | 19 |
| 9 | Steals | 5 |
| 0 | Blocks | 6 |
| 10 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 10 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 3 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 3 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 19 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 14 |
| 8 | Fast Break Points | 4 |
| 26 | Points in Paint | 50 |
| 13 | Fouls | 18 |
Game Information
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 8,319 · Capacity:
2025-26 Western Conference Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Minnesota |
- | 9 | L2 | 0.775 | 31 |
 Golden State |
2 | 11 | W4 | 0.725 | 29 |
 Las Vegas |
4 | 13 | W3 | 0.675 | 27 |
 Dallas |
7 | 16 | W4 | 0.6 | 24 |
 Portland |
15 | 24 | L1 | 0.4 | 16 |
 Los Angeles |
16 | 25 | W2 | 0.375 | 15 |
 Phoenix |
17 | 26 | W1 | 0.35 | 14 |
 Seattle |
23 | 32 | L1 | 0.2 | 8 |
WNBA News
Germany beats South Korea, rolls into World Cup quarterfinals
Host Germany advanced to the quarterfinals of the women's FIBA World Cup with a morale-boosting 94-56 rout of South Korea on Tuesday, and the United States learned its next opponent.
Potential WNBA commissioner candidates to succeed Cathy Engelbert
Executives from the WNBA, NBA and Nike are among potential candidates to succeed Cathy Engelbert when she retires.
Arena for 76ers, Flyers to open in 2030, marks 'new era'
The 76ers and Flyers have unveiled renderings of their new fully privately funded arena in South Philadelphia, which is targeted to open before the WNBA season in 2030.
U.S. closes pool play with 105-64 rout of Czechia
The United States routed Czechia 105-64 to close out pool play at the FIBA World Cup and rebound from a tough performance against Italy.
Belgium's Julie Allemand breaks World Cup assist record in win
Julie Allemand broke Spain's Laia Palau's mark of 108 assists in the first half of Belgium's 80-68 win over Australia that clinched a spot in the quarterfinals. She now has 111 in her World Cup career.