Without playoff hopes since Houston's Saturday win, Phoenix kept their focus, and the defending champs lost theirs: the Merc concluded the year on a seven-game win streak, with their first better-than-.500 summer in years.

The Diana rang up 29 as the crowd shouted "MVP." "I'd take our chances against any team in a three-game series right now," she said.

Lawson shot well, too, despite Merc fans' mysterious, persistent boos. But with Griffith resting for most of the game, the 'Narchs normally solid interior got shaky: DeMya Walker kept, well, walking-- she finished with ten (yes, ten) of the 'Narchs 21 TOs.

Coach Whisenant: "We're in second place in the toughest division. And that's over 34 games. But … yeah, it bothers me .... We played poorly on the defensive end."