PHOENIX — Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi scored 19 points apiece, six Phoenix players scored in double figures and the Mercury hit a WNBA-record 33 3-pointers to beat the New York Liberty 99-93 on Tuesday night.
Griner hit a layup to give Phoenix a 92-89 lead, then blocked a shot by Breanna Stewart at the other end.
Taurasi added a 3-pointer to make it 95-91, and Griner made up for his own miss with 29.1 seconds left to restore a four-point lead.
The 33 3-pointers were made on 72 attempts, tying New York’s franchise record with 18.
Liberty (12-3), whose eight-game winning streak was snapped, had three players make at least four 3-pointers, led by Stewart, who was 4-of-4 from the field.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton hit New York’s 18th 3-pointer to cut the gap to 86-85.
But the Liberty missed their final four shots from long range, falling just short of the league record.
Phoenix (8-7) earned its first win against the Liberty since Aug. 6, 2022.
Kahliah Copper and Rebecca Allen added 17 points apiece for Phoenix. Sophie Cunningham had 13 points and Natasha Cloud had 11 points.
Stewart scored 28 points and Sabrina Ionescu had 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Liberty.
Jonquel Jones added 17 points, while Kayla Thornton and Laney Hamilton each added 12 points.
Courtney VanderSloot missed her fifth straight game due to personal reasons.
The Phoenix went on an 11-0 run late in the second period to take a 42-41 lead for the first time since entering the third period trailing 20-19.
The Mercury led 50-46 at halftime.
