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Bonner scores 20 as Mercury win No. 1 seed in West
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Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner, left, attempts a shot around Dream forward Erika de Souza, right, in the third quarter in Phoenix. Sept. 5, 2009.
The Associated Press
DeWanna Bonner had 20 points and seven rebounds to help the Phoenix Mercury clinch the Western Conference's regular-season title with a 100-82 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Saturday night.
Temeka Johnson had 16 points and five assists and Penny Taylor also scored 16 points for the Mercury (22-10), winners of four of their last five. Phoenix clinched the No. 1 spot in the West with its win coupled with Seattle's loss to Minnesota earlier in the night.
Diana Taurasi added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Mercury. With a 3-pointer in the second quarter, she became the fastest player in league history to reach 4,000 career points, doing so in 197 games. Seattle's Lauren Jackson had the previous mark at 209 games.
Erika DeSouza had 23 points and Michelle Snow added 17 points and seven rebounds for Atlanta (17-15). The second-year Dream missed a chance to secure a playoff berth one year after finishing with a league-record 30 losses, but remained one game ahead of third-place Detroit with two games to play.
Atlanta, which had won consecutive games, lost three of five on its road trip.
Phoenix used a 16-2 run midway through the first quarter to take a 22-10 lead with 2:07 left and had a 43-35 advantage at halftime.
However, Atlanta went on a 15-2 run capped by Iziane Castro Marques' 3-pointer with 5:11 left in the third to pull to 52-50. Bonner hit a 3-pointer to start a 16-4 spurt for Phoenix and Atlanta never recovered.
Atlanta played its sixth straight game without second-leading scorer Chamique Holdsclaw, who had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee.
The Mercury were also the West's top seed in 2007, when they won the championship.
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