Phoenix won at home decisively despite trailing by 9 at the half.

The Mercury once was a team of perimeter scorers, the Lynx (when they did score) effective in the paint. Not last night: Merc posts Vodichkova, Stepanova, and Robinson combined for 33 points on 14-22 shooting. Lynx posts Ohlde, Hayden and Williams got schooled, combining for 12 on 4-17. At small forward, Svet had 19, twice her average; Penny Taylor scored over her average with 15.

Things got physical. Anna DeForge sprained her ankle (they're calling it "mild"). Stepanova bloodied her knee. Graf called the game "the best [Stepanova] has played for us."

Minnesota newbie Chandi Jones: 11 points, 4-10 shooting, 6 boards, 3 steals, and two treys, one of them while holding her dislodged contact lens in her mouth.

The Lynx have lost five straight games, three of them after leading at the half. Phoenix are 8-3 since Stepanova arrived, with most of those games (and most of their remaining games) at home.