Brittney Griner scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Diana Taurasi scored six points in overtime as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Seattle Storm 85-80 in the second-round, single elimination WNBA playoff game on Sunday.
Canadian Kia Nurse scored 12 points in 28 minutes of action, including two free throws to close out the scoring with 15.8 seconds to play. The Hamilton, Ont., native also collected four rebounds.
Taurasi, a game-time decision after missing the last five games with a left ankle injury, hit a tying 3-pointer, a step-back jumper and a late free throw as Phoenix took over down the stretch.
The fifth-seeded Mercury open the best-of-five semifinal series No. 2 Las Vegas on Tuesday.
WATCH l Griner leads Phoenix to WNBA semis after OT win:
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/911/559/CP134931123.png?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
Brittney Griner posted a game-high 23 points and 16 rebounds in the Mercury’s 85-80 second round win over Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm. 0:57
Fourth-seeded Seattle, playing without top scorer Breanna Stewart, opened the overtime with a Katie Lou Samuelson 3-pointer for a 76-73 lead. But from there the Storm struggled, making just 2 of 11 the rest of the way.
The game was tied at 78 when Taurasi, with a big brace on her ankle, hit from the left baseline to put Phoenix ahead for good with 2:14 to play. She grimaced in pain going back on defence.
“You always want to play, you want to help your team,” Taurasi said. “Both teams have battled all year. The ball went our way a little bit more tonight. You know how good Seattle is. Every time we come up here we get our (butt) kicked. We found a way to steal a few possessions and win.”
A final buzzer moment. ???????? <a href=”https://t.co/heUA2JvrJp”>pic.twitter.com/heUA2JvrJp</a>
—@PhoenixMercury
Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 20 points for Phoenix. Taurasi had 14 points, Brianna Turner also had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Samuelson led Seattle, the defending champions, with 18 points and Sue Bird, Taurasi’s teammate at UConn and on five Olympic gold medal teams, scored 16.
“Trying to be Willis Reed over here,” Bird said about Taurasi before the two exchanged jerseys. “No one on my team understood that reference. Maybe that’s a sign. These fans are going to make me cry in about two seconds.”
‘1 more year’ chants for 40-year-old Sue Bird
Seattle beat Phoenix 94-85 10 days earlier, when Jewell Loyd matched a WNBA record with 22 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high 37. This time the Mercury jumped out to a 12-point lead before the Storm closed the half with a 15-0 run to lead 35-32 at the half. It stayed close from there but Loyd 15 points, made just 5 of 24 shots.
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