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Natasha Mack scores career-high 16 and the Mercury beat the Storm 72-68 to snap 7-game skid

SEATTLE (AP) — Natasha Mack scored a career-high 16 points to go with 10 rebounds, Kahleah Copper also had 16 points, and the Phoenix Mercury beat the Seattle Storm 72-68 on Wednesday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Awa Fam scored 18 points and Natisha Hiedeman added 15 for Seattle (3-8), which has lost four straight games.

Copper put the Mercury ahead 61-59 with 5:37 remaining and they did not trail again.

DeWanna Bonner made a jumper, fast-break layup and free throw to extend Phoenix’s lead to 68-61 with 2:39 left.

Seattle got within one possession twice in the final 20 seconds, but Copper went 4 for 4 at the free-throw line to seal it.

Monique Akoa Makani added 12 points, and Bonner scored five of her 10 points in the final four minutes for Phoenix (3-8), which secured its first victory since beating Chicago on May 15.

Phoenix led 36-33 at halftime despite shooting just 35% from the field, including 2 of 13 from 3-point range. The Mercury went 10 of 13 from the stripe, while Seattle did not attempt a free throw.

Hiedeman scored 10 of the Storm’s 22 points in the third to help them take a 55-52 lead entering the fourth.

The teams combined to go 12 of 55 from 3-point range.

Up next

Phoenix: Plays at Portland on Friday.

Seattle: Travels to play Minnesota on Saturday.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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