Griner Ejected After Scuffle With Jackson Before Mercury Rally In Second Half To Beat Sparks 85 81

Griner Ejected, Mercury Rally for 85-81 Win Over Sparks **Brittney Griner ejected, Mercury rally for 85-81 win over Sparks** **Las Vegas, Nevada** - Brittney Griner was ejected from the game after a scuffle with Nneka Ogwumike in the second quarter, but the Phoenix Mercury rallied to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 85-81 on Thursday night. * Griner was called for a flagrant 2 foul after she hit Ogwumike in the face with her elbow. * The Mercury trailed by 10 points at halftime, but they outscored the Sparks 47-33 in the second half to earn the victory. * Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 25 points, while Skylar Diggins-Smith added 22 points and 10 assists. The win was the Mercury's third in a row, and it moved them into a tie for first place in the Western Conference standings. The Sparks have now lost three straight games and are in danger of falling out of playoff contention. **Griner's ejection was a major turning point in the game.** The Mercury were struggling to find their rhythm on offense, and Griner's absence left them without a go-to scorer. **However, the Mercury showed their resilience by rallying from behind to win the game.** Taurasi and Diggins-Smith stepped up in the second half, and the Mercury's defense held the Sparks to just 33 points. **The Mercury will be back in action on Saturday night when they host the Dallas Wings.** The Sparks will also be back in action on Saturday night when they host the Chicago Sky.