The Mercury went into Thursday night’s game against the Sparks down 1-0 in the WNBA Semifinal series.
The game went back-and-forth for most of the first half thanks in large part to Diana Taurasi’s 16 points in the first two quarters. The Mercury held the lead with under five minutes to go, but the Sparks went on a late run to take a 43-35 lead into halftime.
Brittney Griner and Leilani Mitchell paired up to help lead the Mercury on a 11-2 run to end the third quarter.
Although Taurasi (21), Griner (16), Mitchell (15) and Yvonne Turner (10) all finished scoring in double-digits, the Sparks pulled away at the end to win 86-72. Los Angeles currently holds a nine game winning streak dating back to the regular season.
The WNBA Semifinals head to Phoenix on Sunday as the Mercury will battle it out in a-must-win game three.