NBA

Liberty no match for Griner, Mercury, winners of 15th straight

PHOENIX — Brittney Griner scored 18 points and the Phoenix Mercury tied the second-longest winning streak in WNBA history with their 15th straight victory, beating the Liberty 78-63 on Saturday night.

Tina Charles had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the Liberty (10-14). The Liberty had won three in a row and six of their last eight.

The Mercury held Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter to 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting. The Liberty got within nine going into the final period but missed its first three shots in the fourth.

The Mercury (21-3) matched the 1998 Houston Comets with the victory and are three short of the league mark set by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001.

Griner also had eight rebounds and six blocks, giving her 94 on the season for a 3.9 average. Diana Taurasi added 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for Phoenix, which clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Phoenix had a 20-point lead and was by at least seven after the first quarter. They have won by an average of 13.2 points during the winning streak.

The Liberty cut it to 25-20 early in the second, but the Mercury outscored them 22-10 the rest of the half. The Liberty missed 11 of 15 shots during a key stretch.

The Liberty used a 10-0 run of their own in the third quarter to get back in the game. Plenette Pierson’s free throw after Taurasi was hit with a technical foul cut the lead to 55-48 with three minutes left in the period. Phoenix led 60-51 going into the final quarter.

Candice Dupree added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Penny Taylor had 10 points for Phoenix, which used a 10-0 run in the second quarter to open up a close game.

Phoenix has shot better than 50 percent in the last six games, making 31 of 60 on Saturday.

The Mercury’s last loss was a 96-95 setback at Connecticut on June 12.