Storm send Mercury to 7th straight loss

Camille Little scored 17 points on Thursday and the Seattle Storm returned from the WNBA's Olympic break with a 72-58 win over the Phoenix Mercury.

Tanisha Wright added 10 points and eight assists while Shekinna Stricklen scored nine off the bench for the Storm, who have won nine of their last 12 games to reach .500 (10-10).

Sue Bird returned from London after winning her third goal medal and saw limited action in the win, scoring just two points in a little over 10 minutes.

Samantha Prahalis scored 15 points to pace the Mercury, who tied a franchise- high with their seventh consecutive loss. The last time they dropped seven straight was in 2003.

Alexis Hornbuckle finished with 12 points while Diana Taurasi, who averaged a team-high 12.4 points per game for the U.S. in London, sat out with a strained left hip flexor.

The Storm led the entire second half and pushed their advantage to 18 in the runaway fourth quarter.