Phoenix tops Dallas in 1st game without former MVP Tina Charles

Skylar Diggins Smith scored 26 points, Diana Taurasi added 18, and Phoenix beat the Dallas Wings by 83 to 72 on Saturday in the Mercury’s first game without Tina Charles.

The Mercury announced earlier Saturday that they parted ways with former MVP Tina Charles after just 18 games.

“After discussions, Tina and her agent decided it was best for both of us to go our separate ways at the moment,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman stated. said. “Due both to circumstances within and without our control, our seasons have not gone according to plan. We will continue our efforts to improve.”

Diamond DeShields was called up from the bench to score 16 points and 10 rebounds in Phoenix (7-12). Sophie Cunningham had 14 points.

Dallas (9-10) was led with 25 points by Arike Olumbale. Isabelle Harrison scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds before fouling with 5:26 remaining in the game. The Wings were trailing 66-65. Dallas dropped to 4-6 at home.

Cunningham made two 3-pointers, and Diggins Smith completed a 13-2 run by scoring a three-point play to end the first half. This allowed the Mercury to stay within 45-44.

Ogwumike leads Sparks past Storm

Nneka Okwumike scored 24 points, leading four players to double figure. The Los Angeles Sparks also fought back in the fourth quarter to defeat the Seattle Storm 85-7 on Saturday night.

Ogwumike made 12 of 18 shots from the floor in Los Angeles (7-10).

The Sparks’ Katie Lou Samuelson scored 17 points, outscoring Seattle 17-9 in final period. Brittney Sykes finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kristi Toliver was a 11.

Breanna Stewart had 28 points and seven rebounds to pace Seattle (11-7). Ezi Magbegor had 16 points and blocked three shots before fouling. Gabby Williams scored 11.

Stewart made her first three 3-point attempts, and the Storm took a 19-7 lead.

Toliver scored the last four points in a 29 point second quarter. The Sparks led 49 to 43 at halftime