Taurasi vs. Beard Is a Rivalry You Should Know

If you get goosebumps watching Ovechkin vs. Crosby, LeBron vs. Kobe, or Tiger Woods vs. everyone else, give this matchup a try: Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury vs. Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics, both first round picks in the 2004 WNBA draft. Taurasi’s Mercury - the highest scoring team in the WNBA - held on in the final seconds of the fourth quarter Thursday to win over the Mystics, 93-87.

Taurasi had 23 points in the game. Beard had 21. Beard is currently second in the WNBA's Race to the MVP overall player rankings. Taurasi is third.

With Beard, Taurasi, and Mercury forward Cappie Pondexter, three of the five leading scorers in the league were on the court at Verizon Thursday. The 5-3 Mercury looked like the NASCAR of the WNBA , playing up-tempo and scoring fast, while Washington struggled at the line, making only 17 of 29 free throws.

"I mean, we put those in, we win the game," head coach Julie Plank said. "That’s a little bit disappointing to lose like that."

Washington also had to deal with a 24-point performance by Pondexter. The Mystics, however, had five players score in double digits and drew the crowd to its feet several times as they closed in on Phoenix, bringing the score within two at 1:56 in the fourth. Phoenix kept its lead safe by following up with two layups and a steal.

Even with the Mystics now at 4-2, Plank, in her first year as head coach, still has her team competing with Indiana (also at 4-2) for first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Mystics next face Chicago Saturday in the Windy City.