Sparks hold on, escape late Mercury rally

Chamique Holdsclaw scored 18 points and Lisa Leslie added 16 with eight rebounds Friday night as the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Phoenix Mercury 85-83.

Cappie Pondexter had 21 points to lead the Mercury, while Diana Taurasi contributed 19 and Kelly Miller 13 with a career-high 12 rebounds.

The Sparks had opened a double-digit lead including a 10-2 run in the second quarter before Phoenix rallied in the final minutes.

Shock 70, Sun 64: At Uncasville, Conn., Deanna Nolan hit a jumper with 24.9 seconds left to break a tie and Katie Smith made four late free throws to help Detroit beat Connecticut.

Silver Stars 91, Liberty 78: At New York, Vickie Johnson had 19 points in her return to Madison Square Garden, leading five scorers in double figures snapping San Antonio’s season-high four-game losing streak.

Storm acquire center

The Seattle Storm have bolstered their front court, acquiring 6-foot-4 center Ashley Robinson from the Chicago Sky in exchange for forward Cisti Greenwalt and a second-round draft pick in 2007.

Robinson was averaging 1.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10 minutes per game for the expansion Sky. Robinson gives the Storm depth on the interior, as Wendy Palmer is expected to miss at least two more weeks with an Achilles injury and Lauren Jackson continues to battle shin pain.