Tonight's game was yet another perfect example of why the Phoenix Mercury struggle to beat the Seattle Storm.
Put simply, it's a game of mismatches and the Storm managed to take a 40-31 halftime lead despite a sub-par first quarter performance.
The Mercury switched up their lineup to start forward and Sixth Woman of the Year candidate DeWanna Bonner, moving Candice Dupree over for her first start of the season.
And yet the Mercury still only found themselves tied after one quarter of play, despite the Storm shooting 25 percent from the field. That was probably the Mercury's best chance to establish an advantage.
In the second quarter, the Storm picked it up on both ends of the ball exploiting mismatches inside and inconsistent defense on the perimeter to shoot 56.3 percent from the field and outscore the Mercury 21-12. The biggest beneficiary of that offensive performance was forward Camille Little who was too strong inside for Bonner and too quick for Dupree. Little tied guard Tanisha Wright with a game-high 11 points. Wright was just too strong off the drive for the Mercury's guards to contend with.
Bonner did have a team-high 10 points in her start, but the Mercury will have to figure out how to defend the post with their adjusted lineup.