After what the team called a disappointing showing in their first preseason game against the Storm less than 48 hours prior, the Mercury responded with an impressive 79-73 victory over Seattle at home Thursday.

DeWanna Bonner finished with 11 of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Monique Currie was absolutely on fire in the third quarter and finished with 16 points and five boards. Cayla Francis added 11 points and three rebounds in just 15 minutes of action due to foul trouble.

PHOTOS: #MercVsStorm Preseason

“We still have a long way to go,” Sandy Brondello said after the game. “We can build off this. I thought we gave a much better effort than we did on Tuesday. We’re going to use this next week to focus on the little things we need to improve.”

The Mercury out-rebounded the Storm 38-31 with four players notching five or more boards (Bonner-6, Dupree-6, Griner-8, Currie-5). Perhaps more importantly, Phoenix had just 11 total turnovers compared to Seattle’s 14.

Overall, Phoenix didn’t shoot the ball very well from the floor (42.9 percent), but they finished 6-of-15 (40 percent) from beyond the arc. Monique Currie and DeWanna Bonner each hit two three-pointers. Currie, in fact, was the main offensive and defensive catalyst in the team’s 21-13 third quarter.

The Mercury finished the preseason with a 1-1 record.

“We came out more aggressive in the second half,” Bonner said. “We have a lot of new faces and are still learning how to play with each other. I thought the fourth quarter was much better.”

Phoenix begins their title defense on Friday, June 5 at US Airways Center against the San Antonio Stars in the Fry’s Food Stores Home Opener. Prior to the game, they will celebrate their 2014 WNBA Championship in a special ceremony.