Game 5
| ESPN2 |
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September 16 |
| Recap |
| Phoenix Mercury 108, Detroit Shock 92 | |||
| Scoring by quarter: 30–17, 25–26, 24–21, 29–28 | |||
| Pts: Taylor 30 Rebs: Taurasi 7 Asts: Pondexter 10 Pts: Pondexter 26 |
Pts: Nolan 27 Rebs: K. Smith 6 Asts: Johnson 8 3P-FG: K. Smith 6-9 |
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Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills Attendance: 22,076 Referees:
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A fast start helped Phoenix become the first team in the WNBA's 11-year history to claim the title on the road. Cappie Pondexter, in her second year in the league, scored 26 points and was chosen as the series MVP. Penny Taylor scored 30 points and Diana Taurasi had 17 for the Mercury.
The Shock lost the last two games of the series, ending their bid to win back-to-back titles. Detroit also won the championship in 2003.
Phoenix took some steam out of the home crowd, announced at more than 22,000, by spurting to a 20-9 lead midway through the first quarter. Taurasi had eight points, including two 3-pointers, in that stretch. The large deficit quickly took Detroit out of its game. The Mercury's smallest lead in the second half was nine points. Katie Smith had 18 points for Detroit, which committed 17 turnovers compared to only nine for the Mercury.
This was the Mercury's first WNBA championship. They previously appeared in the WNBA Finals in 1998.
Read more about this topic: 2007 WNBA Finals, Game Summaries
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