BASKETBALL

The Phoenix Mercury are WNBA champions for the second time in three seasons, leaning on their "big three" to pull out a 94-86 victory over the tenacious Indiana Fever in the deciding Game 5 on Friday in Phoenix.

League and finals MVP Diana Taurasi scored 26 points, Cappie Pondexter 24, and Penny Taylor sank two crucial free throws with 37.7 seconds left as the Mercury held off a late rally to win the intense series 3-2.

Tammy Sutton-Brown scored 22 points, and Jessica Davenport had a career-high 18 for Indiana in its first finals appearance. Temeka Catchings added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Fever.

SOCCER

Kansas freshman and Goddard product Whitney Berry scored twice and had an assist to lead the Jayhawks to a 3-2 win over Texas Tech in Lawrence. Kansas (9-4-1, 1-3 Big 12), had lost three straight to open league play. It was Texas Tech's first Big 12 loss.

MOTORSPORTS

Denny Hamlin won the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

Hamlin averaged 183.870 mph during his qualifying run around the 2-mile oval. The pole is his first of the year and seventh of his career. Hamlin's last pole came at Richmond in 2008.

David Reutimann will start second, followed by Greg Biffle. Three-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson will start fourth. Points leader Mark Martin will start 10th.

FIGURE SKATING

Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen has withdrawn from the first Grand Prix figure skating event of the season because of tendinitis in her right calf. Cohen will miss the Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris after consultation with an orthopedic surgeon.

Cohen says she is confident she will be ready for Skate America, Nov. 12-15 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

TENNIS

The Wichita State women's team opened the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships in Evansville, Ind., by going 3-1 in singles play and 2-0 in doubles play, with seven flights of singles and three flights of doubles.

Stephanie Dalmacio advanced to the semifinals in her singles flight with a win over Evansville's Kate Chybowski. Lenore Lazaroiu and Florentina Hanisch also advanced for WSU in singles. All three play today.

In doubles, Hanisch and Lazaroiu advanced with an 8-0 win over Creighton's Tess Reddin and Sara Cadwallader. Lily Wakin and Dalmacie, playing together for the first time in a tournament, defeated Bradley's Kelly Donohue and Jessica Butterbaugh 8-2. Both doubles teams advanced to today's quarterfinals.

At the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championship in Los Angeles, WSU's Lutfiana Budiharto won the qualifying singles consolation bracket, defeating BYU's McCall Jones 7-6 (3), 6-4.

GOLF

Walker Cup player Nathan Smith won his second U.S. Mid-Amateur title, building a big lead and cruising to a 7-and-6 victory over Tim Spitz at Kiawah Island, S.C.

* Spain's Sergio Garcia shot a 5-under 67 in the second round of the Madrid Masters for a share of the lead with Scotland's David Drysdale.

HOCKEY

Tom Kostopoulos and Jussi Jokinen scored first-period goals off turnovers in Florida's end, and Cam Ward made 25 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Panthers 7-2.... Alex Auld made 21 saves in his Dallas debut to help the Stars win for the first time this season, 5-2 over Calgary.