Augustus hurt in loss

Rick Scuteri, AP

Lynx player Candice Wiggins, left, dived for the ball against Phoenix's Cappie Pondexter during the fourth quarter Wednesday night.

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Last update: June 18, 2009 - 7:07 AM

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PHOENIX 104, LYNX 80

Up next: at Seattle • 9 p.m. Friday • no TV (106.1-FM)

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PHOENIX — Lynx coach Jen Gillom did not sound hopeful when discussing an injury suffered by Seimone Augustus in a 104-80 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.

"It doesn't look good at all," Gillom said. "It's one of those things that you can't control in life, but it doesn't look good at all."

Augustus left the game because of a sprained left knee in the second quarter. The Lynx star scored nine points in 13 1/2 minutes.

"We had 30 points go down on the floor and she had been the go-to player all season," said Gillom, who was honored with a video presentation as the Mercury's all-time leading scorer. "It was hard to make that adjustment at the end."

Diana Taurasi scored 28 points, going 7-for-8 on three-pointers, for the Mercury. Rookie DeWanna Bonner had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Tangela Smith and Temeka Johnson scored 13 points each, and Cappie Pondexter added 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Mercury (4-1).

Charde Houston and Nicky Anosike scored 21 points each for the Lynx (4-2).

The Mercury went on a 14-0 run after squandering a six-point halftime lead to take a 72-59 advantage with 2:39 left in the third quarter.

"I was writing on the board like a little dial and telling them to turn it a notch and turn it another notch," Mercury coach Corey Gaines said. "Stay in there, turn it another notch and little by little raise it up."

Phoenix, which came in averaging a league-best 91.8 points per game, has topped 90 in each of its victories. The Mercury finished with 25 assists, outrebounded the Lynx 48-29, and shot 46 percent (37-for-81) from the field and 84 percent (21-for-25) from the free-throw line.

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