Mercury Take WNBA Championships to Game 5
It all came down to Cappie Pondexter's 9-foot bank shot with 21.7 seconds remaining in the game. One shot and the game was over. The battle between the Phoenix Mercury and the Detroit Shock for the WNBA Championship, however, was not. The Mercury forced the series into Game 5 with a one point win, 77 - 76 in Game 4.
"I just love having the ball and making things happen," Pondexter told the Arizona Republic.
She certainly made things happen last night. In addition to scoring the final four points of the game, including the game-winning basket, Pondexter scored a game-high 26 points Thursday night. Twenty of those points were scored during the second half. Pondexter also got the ball into the hands of teammate Kelly Miller whose 3-point shot with less than two minutes left in the game was a turning point in the game.
"I think 80 percent of the possession in the second half were going through her hands," coach Paul Westhead told the East Valley Tribune. "Everybody has to have a go-to thing that you just say, 'Here's what you do when things are stuck.' Well, when we're stuck, we're getting the ball in Cappie's hands."
The 24-year-old guard is only in her second season as a professional basketball player. During the playoffs she has averaged 23.6 points per game and 5 rebounds.
The best-of-five game series is now tied at 2 - 2.
"Any which way, we just needed to win," Westhead told the Arizona Republic. "Otherwise, there's no other story line. There's no discussion. It's goodbye,"
Instead, the Mercury are bidding their home court advantage goodbye. Sunday's Championship game will be played in Detroit, where the Mercury won Game 2, 98 - 70. Here's hoping they can do it again!
