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Friday, Jul. 28 10:00pm ET
Phoenix 65, Seattle 55 | |||||
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BOX SCORE
SEATTLE (AP) _ The Seattle Storm players may not be winning games but they're earning their opponents' respect. Brandy Reed scored 21 points and keyed a 10-0 run in the second half as the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Storm 65-55 Friday night. The Storm completed a stretch of three losses in four nights against the Los Angeles Sparks, Houston Comets and the Mercury. Those teams have the top three records in the league and a combined mark of 62-16. Tonya Edwards had 15 points and Jennifer Gillom added 11 points as the Mercury (17-9) beat the Storm (4-22) for the second time in as many meetings this season. The Mercury also clinched a winning season with the victory. The Mercury routed the Storm 82-49 in the first meeting on June 7. It was a different story this time. "They're much improved," Tonya Edwards said. "They have beaten Los Angeles and not many teams have done that." Mercury coach Cheryl Miller said Seattle does not play like a team with the worst record in the league. "What I admire is that with four wins, you wouldn't know it. They continue to play hard game in and game out." The Storm trailed 33-27 early in the second half before the Mercury ran off 10 points for a 43-27 lead with 15:06 remaining in the game. Reed and Edwards scored four points each during the game-breaking spurt. The Storm trimmed that deficit to 57-50 with 1:02 left, but got no closer. Edna Campbell led the Storm with 14 points, Simone Edwards had 11 and Andrea Garner added a career-high 10. Storm coach Lin Dunn praised her team's effort. "Considering we played in Los Angeles last night, I thought they really fought through their fatigue. "It is frustrating for the team, but I think they are feeling good about the fact that we are getting better and we're being more competitive." Campbell said the Storm players need to remain focused on getting better. "Our objective is to continue to improve," she said. "We're putting together a tremendous effort and we're making strides." | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard RECAPS Cleveland 80 Detroit 60
Phoenix 65 AUDIO/VIDEO   Brandy Reed puts in a pair of baskets on her way to a 21 point game.avi: 806 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||