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SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- Natalie Williams scored five of her 19 points during a game-ending 7-0 run as the Utah Starzz rallied past the Phoenix Mercury, 87-84. In a game delayed a half-hour due to Phoenix's late arrival, the teams battled back and forth all night until the Mercury appeared to take control with a 12-2 run that gave them an 84-80 lead with 1:31 to play. But Williams buried a 3-pointer and Adrienne Goodson, who also scored 19 points, added a layup to put Utah ahead to stay, 85-84, with 25 seconds remaining. "Natalie hit that big 3 to cut into that four-point lead and we weren't able to capitalize on our scoring opportunities," Phoenix coach Cheryl Miller said. Williams made a pair of free throws with six seconds left and Michelle Cleary missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Starzz held on for their second win over Phoenix this season. Korie Hlede scored 20 points for Utah, which shot a blistering 61 percent (35-of-57) from the floor to overcome the 23 points it yielded on turnovers. Hlede led the sharpshooting attack by burying 8-of-11 shots, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. "It's all about rhythm," Hlede said. "In the beginning at shootaround I felt good about it. But there have been nights when I felt good about it and had not so good a night." Brandy Reed scored 25 points and Jennifer Gillom added 20 for the Mercury, who had won four in a row. "I think with all that happened today, the travel and getting to the arena late, we just had a hard time finding any rhythm early in the game," Gillom said. "This was a game we could have won, but you have to give them credit, too. They didn't give up when they fell behind either." Cleary finished with 12 points for Phoenix, which shot 48 percent (31-of-65) and held a 27-23 advantage on the boards. Jennifer Azzi had 10 points and eight assists for Utah, which led 40-38 at halftime in a game that featured six lead changes and eight ties.
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