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Taylor leads Mercury in blowout win over Lynx

Jul 4, 2007 - 3:17 AM MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Penny Taylor paced the Phoenix Mercury with 26 points as they cruised past the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday.

Holding on to a 14-12 lead at the 3:33 mark in the opening quarter, Taylor scored 10 points during a 26-12 stretch over the next 9:31 to expand the Mercury lead to 40-24 at 4:02 of the second period.

Kelly Miller scored 16 points and Diana Taurasi added 15 and nine assists in her return from a two-game suspension for Phoenix, which has won six of its last seven games.

However, the Lynx made a valiant attempt to climb back into the game. After Taylor's 3-pointer gave the Mercury an 84-56 lead, the Lynx went on a 23-2 run to cut the lead to seven with 2:49 to play. But Tangela Smith, who was traded to Phoenix in the offseason, hit four free throws toward the end to give the Mercury a 13-point lead with 1:43 remaining to seal the victory.

Minnesota rookie guard Seimone Augustus scored 16 points for the Lynx, who lost for just the second time in nine tries against the Mercury at the Target Center.