Liberty Duo Too Much for Mercury

The offensive firepower of New York’s Vickie Johnson and Sophia Witherspoon decided the battle of the best defensive teams in the WNBA.

Johnson and Witherspoon combined for the Liberty’s final 22 points as New York won its fourth game in a row with a 71-68 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday night before a crowd of 12,683 at Madison Square Garden.

Johnson and Witherspoon each scored 23 points, including 18 for Witherspoon in the second half, as New York (5-4) ended the Mercury’s three-game winning streak and joined Charlotte as the only teams to defeat Phoenix (6-2).

Michelle Griffiths led Phoenix with 15 points.

Detroit 60, Charlotte 49--Cindy Brown had 19 points and a team-record 16 rebounds, and Sandy Brondello added 19 points to lead the Shock (5-4) before 7,287 at Auburn Hills, Mich.

After losing its first four games, Detroit has now won five in a row. Charlotte (7-2) had its five-game winning streak snapped.

Houston 73, Washington 48--Cynthia Cooper scored 16 points and the Comets (7-1) held the Mystics (1-7) to 35% shooting before 9,227 at Houston.

The Comets led, 17-4, to open the game and were never threatened, leading by double digits the rest of the way.