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ESPN wished that the Tulsa Shock would blow out the Washington Mystics early with Skylar Diggins scoring 40 on DC and wished that this game would be an overtime thriller that featured Phoenix Mercury rookie center Brittney Griner and Chicago Sky rookie forward Elena Delle Donne.
Instead, while the Mystics and Shock had an overtime thriller with a point guard winning the game which adds to a certain player's resume, that point guard wore Monumental Red, not black and gold. And instead of this game being a close battle through the very end, it was a blowout where a 39-23 second quarter spelled the Mercury's demise.
For the Sky, Epiphanny Prince scored 26 points (which included 6 threes in nine attempts) along with five assists and four steals. In addition, EDD scored 22 points, grabbed 8 boards, had two assists, and four swats. Chicago also had a 41-29 advantage with rebounds which also appears to be a case why the Sky came out with the big victory.
For the Mercury, Diana Taurasi led the team in scoring with 18 points and dished four assists. In addition, DeWanna Bonner, Candice Dupree and Brittney Griner all scored in double digits. One pivotal moment that may have handicapped the Mercury in this game was that Griner had three personal fouls in the first quarter, which certainly didn't help because they could have used her defensive presence in that aforementioned second quarter.
If you were wondering whether Griner dunked, she did twice in the fourth quarter, once the outcome of the game was decided.
While this is a great win and that there will be a little break of sorts for both teams, the Sky has its home opener this Friday vs. the Connecticut Sun, another team in the Eastern Conference that figures to have a chance to win the conference this year, even without Asjha Jones. For the Phoenix Mercury, DT and the gang will have a three straight games away from the US Airways Center, first against the Seattle Storm next Sunday.