Diamond DeShields heeds advice, leads Sky to win over Mercury

PHOENIX — Rookie Diamond DeShields tied a season best with 25 points, Courtney Vandersloot had 17 points and 11 assists and the Sky beat the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 101-87 on Wednesday.

The Sky (9-17) led by 16 points early in the second half, but the Mercury went on an 11-2 run to pull to 61-59. The Sky opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run, capped by DeShields’ offensive rebound and layup.

“I was just trying to be aggressive,” DeShields said. “[Teammate Alex Montgomery] before the game, she told me shoot, if you’re open don’t hesitate. I appreciate my teammates for having that confidence in me, and it helped me.”

Allie Quigley added 19 points, including five three-pointers, for the Sky. Stefanie Dolson had 13 points for her sixth consecutive game in double figures. The Sky shot 67.7 percent from the field (21-for-32) in the first half en route to a 56-43 lead.

The Mercury (15-11) were without Diana Taurasi, who was suspended after reaching the WNBA’s technical-foul limit of seven.