83-44 新的凤凰城果然不一样！ New-Look Mercury Impressive in Preseason Debut http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/report_040508.html By Steven Koek, PhoenixMercury.com Posted: May 8, 2004 The Phoenix Mercury began the 2004 preseason Saturday night with an impressive 83-44 win over the Seattle Storm. Newcomer Penny Taylor, acquired with the first pick in this off-season’s Dispersal Draft, led a balanced attack with 13 points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds. Rookie Diana Taurasi, the top selection in April’s WNBA Draft playing in her professional debut and All-Star Adrian Williams each scored 12 points. “Whenever you get a win with a margin like that, I think it’s confidence (building) for us,” said first-year Head Coach Carrie Graf. “It’s all new and we’ve got so many new young players. I think the girls are enjoying the win right now, but we’ve got a long, hard road ahead of us.” In a game that was billed as a match-up between former University of Connecticut stars Taurasi and Seattle’s Sue Bird, it was a total team effort by the new-look Mercury that took center stage. And while it was only one preseason game, a runaway victory is a good start in trying to erase memories of the dismal eight-win season of a year ago. “Mentally, it’s good to have a win,” Taylor said. “Everyone here wants to win, regardless of what happened last year. A win is a win and look at it positively and take what you can from the game.” Nikki McCray, the three-time All-Star signed as a free agent to provide veteran leadership and a defensive presence, did just that in scoring eight points and creating four steals. “Nikki focused on what she does well,” said Graf. “She played some really nice defense. She got a few fouls, but if you’re a defender, you’re going to get a few fouls. She made baskets that she can make. She slashed into the lane and got a couple of lay-ups.” The Mercury was without Kayte Christensen and Plenette Pierson due to nagging injuries, but everyone that was in uniform scored as Phoenix outscored the Storm 48-13 in the second half. Shareka Wright led reserves with 11 points in a game-high 27 minutes, and Tamara Moore had five steals and added nine points. “We played a great second half and we’ve got to be happy with that,” said Graf. “We learned a bit of ourselves about how to control the momentum of the game through our defense and ability to rebound aggressively.” Local product produces With her mom and several friends and former teammates in the stands, Lindsay Taylor, a Chandler native, made her presence be known in her first pro game. The 6-8 center scored seven points and blocked a game-high four blocks in 18 minutes off the bench. “The first half I was really nervous,” she said. “I knew I’d be nervous just going into the game. After that, I knew I needed to use those minutes as positive energy.” “Four blocks and she may have changed another seven or eight shots,” marveled Graf. “That kid was impressive.” Taylor’s three-pointer put Phoenix up 65-42, igniting a towel-waving explosion from the Mercury bench. “I hit them during training camp and the coaches know,” she said of her long-range shooting. “That’s why I’m a trailer, so I can hit that shot. The other teams don’t know that, but that is something I’ve always been able to do, shoot the ball. It’s just fun because they don’t expect it from a 6-8 post player.” The University of California-Santa Barbara product did incur the wrath of the officials in getting whistled for four fouls and understands she will need to adjust after getting away with more physical play during training camp workouts. “In practice, it’s a lot more physical,” she explained. “I was doing it during the game, and I was getting fouls called for it. I just have to learn the refs and learn how physical you can and can’t be, and when to be physical. I was just pushing the whole time because that’s what we do in practice.” --

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