Mercury Win Preseason Game, Struggle In Regular Season

The Mercury faced Japan that year, and there were some nice performances in that outing. Alexis Gray-Lawson was Phoenix's leading scorer, and she had 34 points. She also had seven rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Charde Houston also had a nice game, as she finished the game with 14 points, two steals, a rebound and an assist. Chasity Reed had 11 points, three rebounds and a steal in that game, and Andrea Riley had 10 points, six assists and a rebound.

There were a number of players who were not active in this game, as DeWanna Bonner , Candice Dupree, Taurasi and Taylor were out. There were seven players out in this game, and it gave a player like Gray-Lawson an opportunity to shine.

The Mercury beat Japan 102-73 in that game, and after that, they prepared for the regular season. Phoenix faced the Minnesota Lynx in the first game, and the Lynx came out victorious. They beat the Mercury 105-83, and Houston was the team's leading scorer with 24 points. Then, Bonner had 22 points, Dupree had 13 and Samantha Prahalis had 12.

Phoenix won the following game, and Dupree put them over the top. The Mercury forward had 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in Phoenix's 89-87 win over the Tulsa Shock.

After that, the Mercury lost their next two games, as the Los Angeles Sparks beat them 99-88 and the Atlanta Dream beat them 81-65.

The Mercury continued to struggle throughout the season, and their next win was against the Shock. They beat them 79-72 in a game where Bonner had a double-double.

Phoenix's win over Japan was was a positive, but the rest of the season was a struggle. However, things would begin to turn around the following year.