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Griner leads Mercury to 15th straight victory

By WTOP Staff

AL BRAVO
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Old Detroit Pistons “Bad Boy” Bill Laimbeer and his New York Liberty tried to rough up the streaking Phoenix Mercury — with little success.

Brittney Griner scored 18 points and the Mercury tied the second-longest winning streak in WNBA history with their 15th straight victory, beating the Laimbeer-coached Liberty 78-63 on Saturday night.

“That ‘Bad Boy’ stuff, that’s dead in the water,” Mercury star Diani Taurasi said. “That doesn’t work anymore. That’s such ’80s basketball, but I guess they keep it rolling like that.

“The physicality of the game is something we know is part of it. On occasion, we will look to get more physical, that’s fine, we just have to stick to what we are doing on a nightly basis.”

Griner got her first flagrant-1 foul in the fourth quarter. Phoenix responded with a 10-0 run to put the game away.

“They are going to try a lot of things, they are going to try to play physical, they are going to try and get in our heads, get us mad,” Griner said. “Keep a cool head and a hot game, keep playing like we did, just get the win.”

The Mercury (21-3) matched the 1998 Houston Comets with the victory and are three short of the league mark set by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001.

Griner also had eight rebounds and six blocks, and Taurasi added 15 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for Phoenix, which clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Tina Charles had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead New York (10-14). The Liberty had won three in a row and six of their last eight.

“We played out of our game, it wasn’t our normal game,” Laimbeer said. “We just, for whatever reason, quick shooting, taking shots we don’t normally shoot, going one-on-one, not getting any offense. In the second half, we ran our stuff, got good looks. They just didn’t go in.”

Phoenix had a 20-point lead and was ahead by at least seven after the first quarter.

The Mercury held Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter to 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting. New York got within nine going into the final period but missed its first three shots in the fourth.

“We were just missing shots, we were all playing against Griner, we know what she’s capable of and we know that they’re a long team,” Pondexter said.

Mercury coach Sandy Brondello echoed her stars’ comments about staying mentally focused.

“Once we got our composure, we limited them to one shot per possession helps us get out and then we can execute on offense,” Brondello said.

New York made just 27 of 83 attempts from the field, including 1 of 12 from beyond the arc.

“We’re built on defense and we made a team shoot 32 percent on 83 shots, but just executing when we needed to,” Brondello said.

The have won by an average of 13.2 points during the winning streak.

Candice Dupree added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Penny Taylor had 10 points for Phoenix, which used a 10-0 run in the second quarter to open up a close game.

New York cut it to 25-20 early in the second, but the Mercury outscored the Liberty 22-10 the rest of the half as New York missed 11 of 15 shots during a key stretch.

New York used a 10-0 run of its own in the third quarter to get back in the game. Plenette Pierson’s free throw after Taurasi was hit with a technical foul cut the lead to 55-48 with three minutes left in the period. Phoenix led 60-51 going into the final quarter.

Phoenix has shot better than 50 percent in the last six games, making 31 of 60 on Saturday. That six-game run is a WNBA record, according to the team.

All five starters have led the team in scoring over the last five games and it has been the same starting lineup during the streak.

The Mercury’s last loss was a 96-95 setback at Connecticut on June 12.

Griner has 94 blocks on the season for a 3.9 average. The league season record is 114, set by Margo Dydek in 1998 for Utah.

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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