SEATTLE (AP) — Jewell Loyd scored 20 points, Jordan Horston added 16 on 7 of 8 shots and Skylar Diggins-Smith had a double-double to help the Seattle Storm beat the Phoenix Mercury 90-66 Saturday night.
Diggins-Smith finished with 12 points and 11 assists and Nneka Ogwumike scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Seattle (21-14). The Storm is 1 1/2 games behind Las Vegas for the No. 4 seed. Phoenix is 1 1/2 games behind Indiana for the sixth seed.
Horston hit a hook shot that gave the Storm the lead for good with almost 8 minutes left in the second quarter and sparked a 17-4 run. Horston scored seven more points while Diggins-Smith and Sami Whitcomb Each scored a three-pointer in the drive that extended Seattle’s lead to 36-23 with 3:17 left in the first half.
Horston, who scored in double figures for the first time since before the monthlong hiatus for the Paris Olympics, scored 11 points as Seattle outscored the Mercury 28-13 in the second quarter to take a 15-point lead into halftime.
Diana Taurasi led Phoenix (17-19) with 18 points. Kahleah Copper added 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
Seattle made 12 three-pointers, including three each by Whitcomb, Diggins-Smith and Loyd, and committed only six turnovers.
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AP WNBA League: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
