Phoenix – With the poor- shooting Phoenix Mercury on the verge of elimination, coach Paul Westhead decided to run the offense through Cappie Pondexter.
It was a wise move.
Pondexter scored a game- high 26 points, including a driving bank shot with 21 seconds to play, and the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Detroit Shock 77-76 on Thursday night to force a deciding fifth game in the WNBA Finals.
The finale is Sunday in Auburn Hills, Mich.
“I’m a winner,” said Pondexter, an all-star in each of her first two seasons. “When the game’s on the line, I feel like I can win every time.”
Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer said his team was doomed by 18 turnovers, many against a zone defense.
“You have to be more focused than that,” Laimbeer said. “If we had been taking care of the ball, we would be celebrating right now. But we didn’t and we move on and play another game.”
With 1:55 to play and Phoenix trailing 74-70, Pondexter found Kelly Miller for an open 3-pointer to pull the Mercury within a point.
Detroit was still ahead 74-73 when Plenette Pierson turned the ball over with 51 seconds left.
On the next possession, Pondexter hit a 5-footer from the left baseline to put the Mercury up 75-74. After Detroit’s Deanna Nolan answered with a 16-footer, Pondexter barreled into the lane and scored to give Phoenix a 77-76 lead.
“She’s a closer,” Diana Taurasi said of her teammate. “She’s been doing it all year.”
