Taurasi’s homecoming spoiled as Mercury wilt under Sun heat

Diana Taurasi got a rousing ovation from the sellout crowd at the Mohegan Sun arena in her return to Connecticut.

But the Connecticut Sun made sure the warm, fuzzy feeling didn’t last too long. They clamped down on Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in an 85-68 win on Saturday at Uncasville.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 25 points and had nine rebounds to lead the Sun and a dominating inside game. Nykesha Sales added 21 points and Lindsay Whalen guided the Sun’s up-tempo game with seven assists.

“There were a lot of loose balls that went their way early, and that kind of kept them in the game, McWilliams-Franklin said. “But we got into a good rhythm after that.”

Taurasi, closely guarded from the opening tip, finished with 19 points but had no assists. Her teammate Anna DeForge picked up the slack, finishing with 20 points and a career-high nine assists.

“Taurasi is a great player, but we made her work for everything she got today,” Sun coach Mike Thibault said. “We fell asleep on her sometimes as a team, but overall they were great on her.”

Sting 84, Sparks 75: At Charlotte, N.C., Sheri Sam scored 24 points to help Charlotte beat Los Angeles for its first victory of the season.

Dawn Staley added 12 points and 10 assists for the Sting, who opened the season with three straight losses.

Staley, who scored all of her points in the second half, did not have a turnover in 36 minutes.

Two days after reaching 3,000 points in her WNBA career, Chamique Holdsclaw recorded her fourth consecutive double-double for the Sparks, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Lisa Leslie added 16 points and nine rebounds.