Harrison Leads Phoenix to Third Straight Victory

PHOENIX — Lisa Harrison scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Phoenix Mercury over the Minnesota Lynx, 64-54, Tuesday night.

The Mercury beat the Lynx in the season series, 2-1, taking a 2 1/2-game lead in the race for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Brandy Reed had 12 points, and Jennifer Gillom and Tonya Edwards had nine each as the Mercury (12-6) won its third straight. Gillom played 31 minutes in her first game since spraining her left ankle July 2 at Houston.

Katie Smith, 1-for-7 in the first half, scored 19 of her 24 points in the second, but couldn’t prevent the Lynx (10-9) from losing its season-high fourth in a row.