Records fall as Seattle tops Phoenix

Betty Lennox scored 25 points, Lauren Jackson 23 and Iziane Castro Marques 22 to lead the Seattle Storm to two franchise scoring records and a league record in a 111-101 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night.

The Storm broke the team record of 100 points set in a win over Phoenix on May 23. Seattle tied a league record with 40 points in the first quarter when it led by 25 points. Detroit scored 40 against Phoenix on July 8.

Seattle also set a franchise record with 61 points in the first half, breaking the record of 56 set in 2003 against Los Angeles.

Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak and stayed three games ahead of Los Angeles for the fourth and final playoff berth with five games left. The Storm won the season series against Phoenix 2-1.

Diana Taurasi scored 28 points and Cappie Pondexter had 24 for Phoenix, which dropped into a first-place tie with San Antonio in the Western Conference. The Mercury had won six consecutive games and four in a row on the road.

The Storm tied a team record with 13 3-pointers.

Comets 80, Lynx 77: At Minneapolis, Tina Thompson scored 14 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter and Houston held off Minnesota. Latasha Byears added 17 points for the Comets.

Sun 84, Fever 59: At Uncasville, Conn., Katie Douglas scored 19 points as Connecticut routed Indiana. The Sun’s fifth consecutive win put them within a game of the Fever for second place in the East.

Silver Stars 86, Sparks 67: At San Antonio, Shana Crossley came off the bench to lead the Silver Stars for the second straight game in scoring with 26 points as San Antonio clinched its first playoff berth since moving to Texas with a win over Los Angeles.