LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — Leila Lacan scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 96-83 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night at Michelob Ultra Arena in the first of back-to-back meetings between the teams. The Sun won consecutive games for just the second time this season and improved to 7-18. The Mercury dropped to 8-18. Connecticut jumped to an early lead, outscoring Phoenix 28-16 in the second quarter to take a 54-37 halftime advantage. Kennedy Burke contributed 13 points, Brittney Griner and Aaliyah Edwards each scored 12, and Diamond Miller added 11 for the Sun. Kahleah Copper paced the Mercury with 21 points, and Alyssa Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds. Lacan added four rebounds and five assists. The announced attendance was 10,321. The teams meet again Sunday in Phoenix.

LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — Leila Lacan scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Phoenix Mercury 96-83 on Friday night at Michelob Ultra Arena, winning consecutive games for just the second time this season. Lacan, a guard from France, added three assists and three rebounds while sinking four of five free throws to key a Sun offense that shot 52 percent from the floor. Kennedy Burke contributed 13 points, Brittney Griner and Aaliyah Edwards each scored 12, and Diamond Miller added 11 points as Connecticut improved to 7-18. Phoenix fell to 8-18. The Sun seized control early, scoring the game’s first eight points in the opening 2:07. Griner started the run with a layup, then added another basket before Charlisse Leger-Walker converted a running layup. Griner capped the spurt with a 14-foot jumper, forcing a Mercury timeout at the 9:29 mark of the first quarter. Phoenix trimmed the deficit to 11-10 on a 24-foot running pullup jumper by Noemie Brochant, but Connecticut answered with a 15-6 run to close the first period. Lacan hit two pullup jumpers, Saniya Rivers added a layup, and Aaliyah Edwards scored on a reverse layup and another layup in the final minute to give the Sun a 26-21 lead after one quarter. The Sun erupted in the second quarter, outscoring Phoenix 28-16. Griner scored seven points in the period, including a three-point play that stretched the lead to 31-21. Burke drained a 25-foot 3-pointer, and Lacan added a 24-foot triple and a driving layup that drew a foul, completing a four-point play to make it 43-26 with 4:51 left in the half. Connecticut’s lead grew to 52-32 after Rivers scored on a fast-break layup. Brochant hit a 3-pointer for Phoenix, but Edwards answered with a layup, and the Sun took a 54-37 lead into halftime. Connecticut maintained its advantage in the third quarter, shooting 53 percent from the field. Diamond Miller converted a three-point play and added a driving layup, and Burke scored on a reverse layup to push the lead to 64-49. The Sun led 73-59 entering the fourth after Lacan scored on an 11-foot shot. The Mercury never got closer than 12 points in the final period. Lacan opened the fourth with two free throws, and Burke hit a 3-pointer to make it 80-61. Lexi Held answered with a driving layup for Phoenix, and Valeriane Ayayi added a 3-pointer, but Lacan responded with a pullup jumper. Miller’s free throw extended the lead to 82-64, and Leger-Walker’s driving floater made it 84-67. Phoenix trimmed the margin to 86-72 on free throws by Alyssa Thomas, but Lacan sank two foul shots and Burke hit another 3 to push the lead back to 89-72. Connecticut’s lead reached 96-78 after Raegan Beers converted two free throws with 1:44 to play. Valeriane Ayayi scored four points in the final minute for Phoenix, but the Sun closed out the victory. Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 19 points, including seven of nine free throws. Alyssa Thomas added 14 points and nine rebounds, while DeWanna Bonner scored 12 and grabbed nine boards. Lexi Held had eight points and four assists. Phoenix shot 42 percent from the field and made only 5 of 18 attempts from 3-point range. Key to Connecticut’s win was its dominance in the second quarter, when the Sun outscored the Mercury 28-16 behind a 57-percent shooting clip and aggressive defense that forced five Phoenix turnovers. Lacan scored eight points in the period, and Griner added seven. The Sun will face the Mercury again Sunday in the second of back-to-back meetings. Connecticut then travels to Indiana for two games before a three-game series at Washington. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Connecticut 100, Phoenix 99. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Mercury an 81.20 percent probability to win. Phoenix was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-5.5. The total score of 179 went under the over-under line of 163.5.

LAS VEGAS (Interstat) — The Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury, two teams jockeying for position near the bottom of the WNBA standings, meet Friday at Michelob Ultra Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PDT. Connecticut (6-18) enters the contest seeking consistency after a 90-87 victory over Portland on Tuesday. Brittney Griner, listed as a player to watch for the Sun, has been a steady interior presence. Over her last six games, Griner averaged 17 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists, including a 29-point, 10-rebound effort in a 90-89 win over Minnesota on July 6. She logged 20 points and six assists in Tuesday’s win. Phoenix (8-17) comes off a 104-100 loss at Minnesota on Monday, despite a near triple-double from forward Alyssa Thomas. Thomas recorded 19 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists in 37 minutes. Over her last eight outings, Thomas averaged 14.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists, though the Mercury have dropped four of their last five games. The Mercury have struggled defensively, allowing 100 or more points in three of their past four losses. Phoenix fell 106-58 to Las Vegas on July 11, its most lopsided defeat of the season. Kahleah Copper leads the Mercury’s scoring, posting 26 points in Monday’s loss. Connecticut’s recent form is mixed. The Sun have split their last six games, with wins over Chicago, Washington and Portland but losses to Golden State, Minnesota and Dallas. Aaliyah Edwards scored a team-high 21 points in Tuesday’s win. The Interstat game simulator projects a narrow 100-99 victory for Connecticut. Friday’s game is the first of a back-to-back set between the teams. They meet again Sunday at the same venue before Connecticut embarks on a six-game road trip against Indiana, Washington and Chicago. Phoenix travels to Los Angeles next week for two games. For Connecticut, Griner’s production in the paint will be critical against a Mercury frontcourt that allowed 50 points in the paint to Minnesota on Monday. For Phoenix, Thomas’ playmaking and Copper’s perimeter scoring will be key against a Sun defense that has held opponents under 70 points twice this season. The Sun and Mercury rank 10th and 11th in the WNBA standings, respectively, making this a pivotal matchup for playoff positioning.