Storm earn fifth straight win

Janell Burse scored a season-high 27 points and Lauren Jackson had 10 of her 21 down the stretch to lead the surging Seattle Storm to a 79-68 victory Friday night over the Charlotte Sting in Seattle.

Sue Bird had 17 points and seven assists as the Storm extended their season-best winning streak to five games. The Sting are 0-11 on the road and a league worst 3-20 overall.

Jia Perkins led the Sting with 21 points. Sheri Sam and Tangela Smith added 12 points each.

Jackson scored 10 of the Storm’s 12 points in a 6-minute span in the second half as Seattle stretched a 60-52 lead to 72-59.

Burse scored 11 points and Bird nine as the Storm led 33-23 at halftime.

Sam, a member of the Storm championship team last year, was given her championship ring before the game and received a standing ovation. She and Perkins had eight points apiece for the Sting in the opening half.

Mercury 69, Lynx 65: At Minneapolis, Penny Taylor scored 20 points and Diana Taurasi added 17 to lead Phoenix over Minnesota.

Maria Stepanova also had 14 points for the Mercury, who won their third straight and seventh in eight games. Svetlana Abrosimova led the Lynx with 20 points and Amber Jacobs had 10 for Minnesota, which has lost three straight.

Phoenix trailed by nine with 6:45 to play, but Taurasi hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie it at 65 with 1:45 left. Taylor then made two free throws with 35.8 seconds remaining to give the Mercury their first lead.

Fever 62, Mystics 58: At Indianapolis, Tamika Catchings scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, helping Indiana rally in the second half for a win over Washington.

Natalie Williams scored 14 points, and Kelly Miller had 13 for Indiana.

Catchings and Williams scored seven points each as the Fever went on an 18-4 run in a 6:41 span of the second half and built a 51-41 lead with 11:02 remaining.

Temeka Johnson scored 15 points, and DeLisha Milton-Jones added 12 for Washington, which closed to one point with a late 14-4 run.

Monarchs 79, Sparks 59: At Sacramento, Calif., Yolanda Griffith scored 17 points, leading Sacramento over Los Angeles.

It was the third straight victory for the Monarchs, who lead second-place Houston by two games in the Western Conference. Fourth-place Los Angeles lost its second straight and fourth in five games.

The Monarchs, 10-2 at home, scored on the break and frequently inside during a 15-4 run early in the second half. Ticha Penicheiro scored a fastbreak layup to eclipse 1,500 career points and give Sacramento a 57-36 lead with 12:57 remaining.