Mercury's offense, playoff hopes go cold in ugly loss

The needle that measures margin of error for the Mercury's playoff chance just dropped below E.

The only way for them to keep alive the possibility of defending their WNBA title now appears to be a 6-0 finish.

"For sure. That's the only chance we've got," said guard Cappie Pondexter after Phoenix had its worst offensive performance of the season in a 77-55 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars on Thursday at US Airways Center.

Mercury have no margin for error

The last-place Mercury (12-16) didn't lose any ground in the standings in their return from the monthlong Olympic break because Sacramento lost to Los Angeles, but making up a three-game deficit with just six games remaining is a nearly impossible task.

To have any shot, Phoenix will have to shake the offensive funk it was in Thursday. The Mercury came in averaging a league-high 89.2 points but failed to score even two-third of that after shooting a season-low 27.5 percent.

"We shot bad," coach Corey Gaines said. "It's funny, the whole time during the break we worked on defense. I wasn't worried about the offense. We just missed layups, jumpers, chippies, putbacks, basically everything."

First-place San Antonio (19-9), meanwhile, was busy hitting easy, difficult and unexpected shots. Centers Ruth Riley (6-foot-5) and Ann Wauters (6-4), the two tallest players on the court, were a combined 3 of 3 from 3-point range, forward Erin Buescher drilled a 38-footer to end the first quarter, and most of forward Sophia Young's game-high 18 points came with a hand in her face.

"When people are on like that, you feel like what else can we do?" said rookie center LaToya Pringle, who had 12 points and six rebounds in her first start of the season.

"They couldn't miss, we couldn't make one," added guard Diana Taurasi, who had her second double-double of the season (13 points, 10 rebounds) and passed Jennifer Gillom for the franchise lead in free throws made (630).

"They just kicked our butt today."

The game fell out of reach in the second quarter when Phoenix managed just six points, matching a franchise low for a period.

After a Le'coe Willingham layup cut the Mercury's deficit to 20-17 eight seconds into the second quarter, Phoenix went scoreless over the next 6:47, and San Antonio's lead ballooned to 32-17. The Mercury scored only twice more the rest of the quarter and went into halftime down 45-21.

The Silver Stars, which completed their first-ever season sweep of the Mercury, led by as many as 33, and Phoenix never got closer than 17 in the second half.

No other Mercury players scored in double figures, and Pondexter, the league's second-leading scorer, matched her career low with four points.

BONUS SHOT: For the first time in league history, fans will be able to vote for the WNBA's MVP. Votes can be cast at WNBA.com/mvpvote through Sept. 15.