Sep 6, 2007, 2:32 GMT
Auburn Hills, MI - Plenette Pierson poured in 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Detroit Shock held off the Phoenix Mercury, 108-100, in the opener of the WNBA Finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The contest was the highest scoring game by two teams combined in WNBA Finals history.
Katie Smith scored 22 points and Kara Braxton finished with a season-high 19 points and 12 boards for the defending WNBA Champion Shock, who took the lead in the best-of-five series and are seeking their second straight title and third in five years.
Swin Cash also chipped in with 13 points, Deanna Nolan donated 11 and Katie Feenstra added 10 for Detroit, which played without All-Star Cheryl Ford, who was placed on the inactive list due to a knee injury.
Penny Taylor had a game-high 32 points, dished out seven assists and had nine rebounds for Phoenix, which went 0-2 against Detroit in the regular season.
Cappie Pondexter finished with 27 points, Tangela Smith had 11 and Diana Taurasi contributed 10 points for the Mercury, but spent most of the time on the bench and fouled out in the fourth quarter.
The Mercury opened a surprising 11-point lead in the first quarter, but the Shock scored the last eight points of the stanza to close the gap to three, 21-18.
Both Pondexter and Taurasi were held scoreless in the opening 10 minutes, going a combined 0-for-9.
The tide turned in the second, however, as the Shock's duo of Feenstra and Braxton helped Detroit to 12-point lead with two minutes to go in the half.
Taylor stepped up for a subdued Phoenix bench, hitting a turnaround jumper and a driving layup in the final minute. Both buckets sandwiched a Pondexter shot off the glass, cutting Detroit's lead to 41-35 at the break.
The Mercury continued to keep pace with the Shock, who had a six-point half- time lead dwindle to one before a layup by Pondexter gave the Mercury a 44-43 edge at 7:37 in the third.
Detroit, however, continued to dominate from the free-throw line and held a two-point margin, 69-67, heading to the fourth.
A 12-0 run, keyed by a pair of mid-range jumpers from Pierson and a three from Smith, paced the Shock down the stretch. Phoenix pulled within four on Pondexter's trey with 15 seconds remaining, but Smith and Pierson combined to go 4-for-4 from the line as Detroit held on for the victory.
Game 2 will take place Saturday at the Palace.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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