Cappie Pondexter

Diana Taurasi was the runaway winner for most valuable player in the WNBA, a style of victory fitting for the multitalented leader of the fast-paced Phoenix Mercury. The lanky 6-footer was presented with the award at a news conference Tuesday before the Mercury played the Indiana Fever in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. It's the first MVP award for the four-time WNBA all-star, who led the league in scoring at 23.8 points per game in her sixth pro season after being drafted No. 1 out of Connecticut in 2004. Taurasi received 27 first-place votes and 323 points overall in ballots cast by a ... Read Full Story

The Phoenix Mercury are all about offense, with All-Stars Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter leading a talented cast of scorers in search of the team's second WNBA title in three years. The Indiana Fever built their identity on defense, a team that finally ended Detroit's dominance in the East and has the league's defensive player of the year, Tamika Catchings, geared up for a one-on-one showdown with Taurasi. "Those are two amazing players," said Indiana rookie and ex-Arizona State standout Briann January. "Olympians going head-to-head, going hard. They are two of the hardest-working women in this game. They go at it. Their passion for ... Read Full Story

Cappie Pondexter missed a game-winning tip-in at the fourth-quarter buzzer then scored seven of her 23 points in overtime to help the Phoenix Mercury escape with a 120-116 victory over the Indiana Fever Tuesday night in a wild opener of the WNBA Finals. Penny Taylor scored 23 points and newly crowned league MVP Diana Taurasi 22 for Phoenix in the highest-scoring game in WNBA history. Katie Douglas tied it with a 3-pointer for Indiana with 7.1 seconds left in regulation, then scored eight in overtime to match her career high of 30 points. Ebony Hoffman had a career-high 27 on 12 of 14 shooting ... Read Full Story

Cappie Pondexter had 26 points and six assists, Diana Taurasi added 20 points and the first-place Phoenix Mercury defeated Los Angeles 98-90 Thursday night, ending the Sparks' six-game winning streak. Penny Taylor added 17 points, Temeka Johnson had 14 points and six assists against her former team, and DeWanna Bonner had 13 points and nine rebounds. The Mercury already clinched the franchise's fifth playoff berth and second in the last three years. Their 19 wins trail only Eastern Conference-leading Indiana, which has 20. Phoenix owns a two-game lead in the Western Conference over Seattle, with the Sparks another five games back in third. Lisa ... Read Full Story

Cheryl Ford had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Deanna Nolan scored 21 as the Detroit Shock kept their playoff hopes alive with a 101-99 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night. The Shock (14-15) are part of a five-way battle for the final three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Phoenix (20-10) got 25 points from Cappie Pondexter and 20 from Diana Taurasi, who missed a potential winning 3-pointer in the closing second. The Shock led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, but Phoenix rallied to pull within 42-39 at the half. The Mercury went ahead early in ... Read Full Story