A Tussle in Tulsa? Phoenix Mercury (1-1) vs. Tulsa Shock (1-2) Preview

For the Phoenix Mercury:
G Temeka Johnson
G-F Diana Taurasi
F Candice Dupree
F Penny Taylor
C Tangela Smith

For the Tulsa Shock:
G Shanna Crossley
G Scholanda Robinson
G Alexis Hornbuckle
C Chante Black
F-C Kara Braxton

Officials: Brenda Pantoja, Clark Stevens, Eric Brewton

…get nice rounds of applause from the sparse crowd. I’m hoping people are coming from work and aren’t here yet?

but no points to show for it after a Braxton miss. Dupree gets the game’s first points. And second points.

Has Tulsa’s first 5 points, looks comfortable out there today.

(and they can use that another 15 times or so this season =D)

Alexis just flew over the scorer’s table right in front of me. They’re doing some cleanup on aisle nine right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if that one fried some equipment. Or at the very least got the scorers all sorts of wet.

I have to say that this game is living up to the fast pace people were talking about prior to the game. Both ends of the court are very zippy.

By the Shock’s Amber Holt. Wowza.

Oh – and can Diana Taurasi be stopped? She’s 4-for-4 with 12 points already. She’s rather impressive to see in action in person. Saw her a couple times when I lived in Connecticut, but this is…different.

not that I am watching the game :) but it is on in the media room at USAC….Go Suns!

Jessica, be sure to talk to Diana. Everyone needs to experience that. Have fun!

As she tries to explain the foul called on her. Both her and Richardson seemed almost confused.

Diana Taurasi – 15 points and could have even more if she had played the other two minutes of the qaurter,

Fouls abound for Tulsa – who have 7 with their agressive D – including 2 on Lacy

Both teams are shooting very well – Tulsa at 55.6% (10-of-18) and Phoenix at 58.8% (10-of 17)

Rebound edgue obviously belongs to Phoenix – 9 to 6 – but it’s closer than I expected to be sure.

Down to 5-of-6.

Holt, Lacy and Hornbuckle having a little pow wow under the basket, conferencing about who gets who on the blockout and defensive rebound.

Is Diana Taurasi stoppable? Apparently not tonight. 6-of-7 from three.

Every game at home, they’ve gotten down big, rallied around the half and gotten tied by thee break. Phoenix has had large leads – at least 15 at more than one point – and it’s a two point game with 3:28. Unbelievable!

2:58 to play in the first half and Tulsa has tied it up on a Crossley layup off of a Scholanda Robinson assist..

That’s her 3rd personal in the half. I guess that might slow down her socring. Maybe.

Penny Taylor make a 3 pointer with 1.2 on the clock to get the lead to five after the Tulsa hands heat up and the Phoenix hands cool down a smidge.

I hear through the Twitter world that this ranks as the 2nd most points in a half in WNBA history.

The Shock have struggled mightily in their 3rd quarters at home this year. But so far, so good (err. better anyway). Two and a half minutes in and it’s a 5 point game.

Hornbuckle is joking with Clark Stevens about his call. She’s a funny one

Just kidding – you were NOT kidding! She looks really good, agressive to the basket, playing solid defense and crashing the glass for a team high in both rebounds (7) and points (12) at this point.

Again – impressive!

Down 2!

I hear rumblings that Taurasi got the call because she’s a star. ::gasp:: can you believe it? LOL

I still can’t believe this game is this close. Four Shock players in double-digits and for Phoenix it’s the ‘Diana & Penny Show’.

As has been the case all season, Holt is becoming a quiet scorer. Leading the team with 15 right now on 4-of-5 shooting, 7-of-7 from the line.

Corey Gaines dropping an F bomb because the Merc score said 77 rather than 80. Hahaha!

“She was under the basket!! It doesn’t matter?? Oh.” These two coaches are great!

Potential troubles as Lacy and Scholanda Robinson both have 4 fouls for the Shock.

Pierson kind of stomping her feet as she walks off after fouling Diana Taurasi, giving her three free shots.

The shot clock reset, whistles blew as the Shock drained a trey (that won’t count). Tulsa inbounding with 4 on the clock, Lacy takes a crazy shot and the ball belongs to Phoenix.

“You called a foul!” His plead worked. Shock ball, but the lead is up to 10 for Phoenix at this point.

Definitely getting at least one team to 100. We’ll see if they both can manage it.

Shock not too far behind at 92 points with 3:53 to play in this game

Tulsa has had some ‘easy’ baskets that didn’t find their way through the net somehow. I think that, along with the insane 16-of-35 shooting for Phoenix from 3 will be one thing that can be pointed to when the Shock lose this one.

Diana Taurasi ends with 35, Penny Taylor with 29 for the Merc and Dupree had 14 boards, 14 points.

For Tulsa, Holt had 20 points, Black grabbed a double-double (12 & 12). 5 total Shock players in double digits with the only non-scorer being Marion Jones.