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Without Taurasi, Mercury rally past Monarchs

May 30, 2007 - 4:44 AM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The odds were against the Phoenix Mercury but they won anyway.

Cappie Pondexter scored 23 points and had five assists the as the Phoenix Mercury rallied from 17 down to defeat the Sacramento Monarchs 76-75 on Tuesday.

The Mercury completed their third largest comeback in team history without superstar Diana Taurasi who was ejected from the game at 4:55 of the second quarter after being called for her second technical foul.

Phoenix (3-1) was trailing 41-24 when Taurasi exited, but outscored the Monarchs (2-2) 52-34 the rest of the way and held on for the win in the final seconds.

Sacramento's Rebekkah Brunson had a chance to win the game in the final moments but she missed a shot in the paint as the Phoenix defense collapsed on her. Brunson finished with a team-high 16 points.

Kelly Miller had 15 points and Tangela Smith added 11 for the Mercury who won their third straight home game for the first time since 2002.

The loss ended a two-game winning streak for Sacramento, which received 13 points from Nicole Powell and 12 from DeMya Walker.

Taurasi came into the game leading the league with 23.7 points per game, but she struggled in this one and her frustration likely factored into her ejection.

Last year's league leader with 25.3 points per game, Taurasi missed her first six shots and had just one point after the opening quarter.

Taurasi picked up her first technical midway through the second quarter. Minutes later, she was called for another after a flagrant foul on Sacramento's Kara Lawson and ejected. The former No. 1 draft pick finished 1-for-7 shooting with only four points.

If losing a big lead wasn't enough, Sacramento lost despite outrebounding the Mercury 45-26.