NEW YORK -- Diana Taurasi tends to play her best when the most is on the line.The star guard scored 30 points and Brittney Griner added 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to help the eighth-seeded Phoenix Mercury beat the No. 3 New York Liberty 101-94 on Saturday night. Taurasi is 13-3 in WNBA elimination games in her storied career, including a 6-0 mark on the road.Im not afraid of it. Its a challenge. Its fun, she said. When you go on the road, especially here at the Garden. These fans are so thirsty they want a championship so bad. We came in the underdog. Today was a whole lot of fun.The Mercury will head to Minnesota for the semifinals, which is a five-game series as opposed to the single elimination games that Phoenix won in the opening two rounds of the postseason.Its going to be hard. They are the best in the league right now, Taurasi said. They are the defending champs. We know what they do. They know what we do. Its going to be a battle of wills more than anything. Right now were finding our groove. Finding who we are.Just as they did during their first-round playoff game, Phoenix players Mistie Bass and Kelsey Bone kneeled during the playing of the national anthem . Liberty guard Brittany Boyd sat on the bench with her head bowed. She also said she did that in the final few games of the regular season.I dont want to stand up. I choose not to stand up and I sit down and pray, said Boyd, who wore a Colin Kaepernick jersey into the arena and had it hanging in her locker. Colin (Kaepernick) and his message about social injustice going on in this country today is something I believe needs change. This wasnt the first game I sat down for the national anthem. I dont agree with some of the stuff thats going on. This is me using my platform.With Phoenix clinging to a two-point lead early in the fourth quarter Taurasi scored five straight points in a 10-2 run that gave them an 84-76 advantage. New York refused to quit, hitting back-to-back 3s to get within 84-82. But thats as close as the Liberty could get as they came up empty on the next few possessions. New York trailed 90-86 with 1:29 left before Taurasi hit a 3-pointer from the wing, pumping her fists at midcourt after it swished through the net that virtually sealed the victory.Phoenix was in control in the first half as the Mercury led by 15 points in the second quarter thanks to the play of Penny Taylor, who finished with 20 points. Trailing 52-41 at the break, the Liberty opened the second half on a 13-2 run capped by Tina Charles 3-pointer to tie it at 54. They trailed 68-67 after three quarters and the game was tied at 74 after Epiphanny Princes 3-pointer with 7:23 left in the final period.Tanisha Wright scored 21 points and Tina Charles added 19 to lead New York. The loss also marked the end of Swin Cashs career. The 15-year WNBA player announced during the season that she would retire after the Libertys season ended.Its tough to completely reflect right now, but Im really proud of this team, Cash said. Took some bumps along the way, injuries. We set a really solid foundation on how hard you have to work and what it takes to get to that next level.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg China Basketball Jerseys . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Wholesale Basketball . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . http://www.cheapjerseysnbaoutlet.com/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cheap NBA Jerseys 2020 . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Jerseys Basketball China . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. The curtain has dropped on Group I racing for the year, but theres still a winner or two to be found.So lets get cracking....Best Bet IEagle Farm Race 8, No.3 Ravi @ $2.50 with UBETSmart mare who has progressed to black-type racing and acquitted herself very well, running second in the Group III Sheraco Stakes before two close-up efforts in Melbourne prior to a let-up.The form around her fourth at Caulfield is excellent - the winner, Sheidel, then went very close to winning the Group I Winterbottom against the boys, while runner-up Silent Sedition followed up with a dominant win in the Group III Summoned Stakes.Thats comfortably the best form in this race, and Ravi looks well in at the weights just 2kg above the minimum. Jockey-of-the-moment Kerrin McEvoy takes the ride and should get a nice run behind the speed from gate six; Ravi will take care of the rest.Best Bet IIMorphettville Race 5, No.7 Beluga Blue @ $2.70 with UBETKeeping the faith with this mare after we spruiked her last start only to be let down with an unplaced showing at Moonee Valley.In truth, Beluga Blue didnt have a lot of luck on that occasion but still battled on well for fifth.Definitely prepared to forgive her that miss over the mile. Previously she had won her first two starts of the campaign, both over 1400m, and its possible she was looking for further at the Valley.Regardless, the form is still good and the mare now returns to her home state for this very winnable assignment. Another plus is the fact she is reunited with regular pilot Clare Lindop, who should navigate a very economical passage from the inside barrier.The trip of 2000m looks ideal fourth-up and Beluga Blue can be backed with a measure of confidence.Over the oddsFlemington Race 5, No.3 Goathland @ $5.50 with UBETCurious name but nothing silly about this imports last-start effort when second over 2000m in a Benchmark 78 on Pakenham Cup day.That was a marked improvement on his first-up effort when down the field on a leaders track on Oaks Day at Flemington. Suspect the horse which beat him at Pakenham, Gallic Chieftain, is very good, so the form should be treated with respect.Lightly raced so not much to go on but his best form in England was over the middle-distance journey he gets to on Saturday, so further improvement should be expected.Team Williams has a happy knack with these untapped Europeans and Im reading as a positive that theyre happy to race Goathland off the seven-day back-up. Looks overs and will be hard to beat.Flemington Race 3, No.10 Loveitt @ $15 with UBETThe Tony McEvoy stable is flying at present and this galloper looks tremendous value.ddddddddddddHas been in good form this prep - her flop when outclassed in the Summoned Stakes notwithstanding - and should be right at her peak fifth-up.Ran really well last time in the midweeks when sticking on for third off a wide run, and though Saturdays race is tougher she gets significant weight relief.Flemington, and the intermediate trip of 1700m, will suit this mare and she can defy her big odds with a forward showing.Flemington Race 9, No.6 Brown Ben @ $4.60 with UBETMcEvoy looks an outstanding chance to win the last race at Flemington with this lightly raced and progressive sprinter-miler.Has won three on the bounce now, including a deeply impressive verdict over a good galloper in Magic Boy when upped to 1600m at Morphettville last time.Theres good speed in this event so the drop back to seven furlongs on a roomy track shouldnt be an issue. Worth following, and if youre game play an each-way double with the above mentioned Loveitt.Lay of the dayRosehill Race 4, No.9 Dagny @ $3.30 with UBETThis mare is shooting for three straight victories since resuming from a spell, progressing from maiden grade first-up to a Benchmark 72 at the midweeks.This is a decidedly tougher affair, however, than the five-runner field she bested at Canterbury.Dagny drops just 1kg into this 78-rated race and is lining up against some equally in-form and progressive types.Should definitely be respected, but easy to pick holes in her form and just as easy to oppose at the price.Under the oddsFlemington Race 2, No.2 Galaxy Raider @ $2 with UBETThis looks a two-horse race on form, but if the betting is to be believed its almost a one-horse affair.Little separated Dollar For Dollar and Galaxy Raider over 1600m at Ballarat, yet on Saturday the latter is half the price of his conqueror.Yes, there is a 2kg swing, but Galaxy Raider looks like he wants further than the 1600m they again compete over, while Dollar For Dollar is second-up here and could well improve again.The favourite might win, but there shouldnt be such a pronounced market disparity between the two principles.Multi of the weekendFlemington Race 1, No.5 Infra Dig - PLACE @ $1.80Flemington Race 2, No.3 Dollar For Dollar - PLACE @ $1.45Flemington Race 5, No.3 Goathland - PLACE @ $1.95Flemington Race 9, No.6 Brown Ben - PLACE @ $1.90Eagle Farm Race 8, No.3 Ravi - PLACE @ $1.32Morphettville Race 5, No.7 Beluga Blue - PLACE @ $1.40Multi odds: $17.87 with UBET cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '