Without playoff hopes after Houston's afternoon win, the Mercury fought hard in San Antonio anyway, defeating the Stars by two points before 10K fans. Diana scored 26, the still-underrated Kelly Miller 20, Feenstra and Pee Wee Johnson 24 each.

The disappointed Merc now have six wins in a row. If not for the season-opening string of losses, when Penny Taylor wasn't there, everyone else was still adjusting to Paul Ball, and Paul was still learning the women's game, the Merc would certainly have a playoff berth now.

Both teams, with good reason, expect berths next year. Pee Wee: "I've been here three years, and every year is a plus. We are moving in the right direction, and I'm just glad to be a part of that."