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Mercury rout Sun, extend win streak to 12

By WTOP Staff

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Mercury have gotten contributions from all of their All-Stars during their lengthy winning streak.

But on Thursday, it was the 13th-year veteran from Australia who gave them a lift.

Penny Taylor had a season-high 23 points, added four rebounds, four assists and three steals in leading the Mercury to their 12th straight win, 101-85 over the Connecticut Sun.

The Mercury have an WNBA-best 18-3 record.

“That’s the beauty of it and why I enjoy it so much,” Taylor said. “Because we are finding ways be effective and it’s not always the easy way. We have so many players on this team with high basketball IQs. For me, that’s so much fun.”

All-Star Brittney Griner added 21 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots, giving her 80 at the break for Phoenix.

Katie Douglas hit a season-high five 3-pointers and had 23 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Sun (10-14), who have lost eight of their past 10.

Phoenix — which hosts the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday — is one win, or a Seattle loss, away from clinching a playoff spot, with a month left in the season.

“Couldn’t have asked for a better first half, in my first year,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. “I have a great bunch of girls in there. They’re professionals and they want to win, so it makes my job a little easier in that regard.”

Before the streak, no Mercury team had previously been more than 13 games above .500 and Phoenix won 19 games during the regular season a year ago on its way to the Western Conference finals.

“Phoenix is a big team, hard to match up with and they take you out of your offense because of their length,” Connecticut coach Anne Donovan said. “So tonight it was important to get on the (offensive) boards, we weren’t hitting our first shot, we weren’t getting the shot we wanted.”

Phoenix has won its games by an average of 12.2 points during the win streak.

Alex Bentley added 20 points for Connecticut, which was the most recent team to beat the Mercury, 96-95, on June 12.

“We’re rolling, we wanted to get all these wins and protect home court,” Griner said. “Connecticut beat us at their place, definitely remembered that in the back of our heads, wanted to get the win so we can enjoy All-Star (game) now.”

All-Star Diana Taurasi had 14 points and six assists for Phoenix, winners of 14 of its past 15.

After trailing by as much as 14 in the first half, Connecticut used some hustle — Chiney Ogwumike’s put-back after being blocked by Griner, Douglas’ steal of an inbounds pass before Phoenix ran off nine straight points and led 76-61 going into the final quarter.

Ogwumike had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Connecticut, her 10th double-double of the season.

Candice Dupree, an All-Star reserve, had 14 points and seven rebounds for Phoenix.

Taylor had 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in the first half as Phoenix opened up a 51-39 lead. Phoenix led by as much as 21 in the fourth quarter.

Taylor scored 12 points during a 3 1/2-minute stretch of the second quarter, then hit a 3-pointer from the baseline in the final minute of the period to put the Mercury up 50-36. Griner added nine points despite picking up her third foul with 1:53 left in the half. She had 17 points in the period.

“When you play on a team like this, the attention is sometime elsewhere,” Taylor said. “You have to have so much focus on BG (Griner), Diana (Taurasi), Candice (Dupree) and DB (DeWanna Bonner), and I think sometimes I can sneak in there and get a few easy ones. It was a good night for me, I made shots.

“It was just one of those games where it opened up for me.”

The Sun hit 10 of 17 from the field in the second quarter to stay close after trailing 24-14 following the first period.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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