Diana Taurasi Becomes Oldest Player with 30-Point Game in WNBA History in Mercury's Semifinal Win

Diana Taurasi didn't let an ankle injury stop her from making WNBA history.

On Thursday night, Taurasi, 39, became the oldest ever player in the league to record over 30 points with a stellar performance in the Phoenix Mercury's 117-91 victory over the Las Vegas Aces to tie the semifinal series 1-1.

The veteran point guard posted 37 points on 10 of 13 shooting — including eight of her 11 attempted three-pointers. Her eight three-pointers were the second-most made in a playoff game in the WNBA's postseason history, according to ESPN.

"As you get older, you want to be in practice and you want to be in rhythm, but that's when you've really got to lock in and kind of lean on your experiences that you've had in this league for a long time," Taurasi explained to reporters after the game.

The athlete added, "When you have games like this, you just enjoy them and they feel a lot better when you come out with the win."

Taurasi missed the Mercury's first-round game against the New York Liberty due to her injured left ankle. She returned for Phoenix's second-round victory against the reigning WNBA champion Seattle Storm, putting up a solid 14 points.

On Tuesday, Taurasi scored 20 points in the Mercury's semifinal loss to the Aces. She topped that number by 17 on Thursday as the game's leading scorer.

"When you get long in the tooth, like I am, you have to take advantage of these situations," she told reporters on Thursday. "And I don't mean go out there and try to get 40 or 35, but be really locked in and be in the moment, and that's what I'm trying to do every single time we get together right now. Because these moments don't come very often."

Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said Taurasi "still has pain" but "just plays" through it, ESPN reported. The most important thing, Brondello noted, is that the injury "hasn't gotten worse."

"It says a lot about her as a player, doesn't it?" Brondello told reporters. "I've seen many great games from Diana, but none as big as this one in the situations where she hasn't been able to train and is not 100%. So, credit to her, and it's fun to watch."

Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer, however, didn't express much sympathy for the veteran star, suggesting there is "no sympathy factor in the playoffs."

"And she will not give any quarter, either. Make sure of that one, OK? She will cut your heart out in a second. So, she's not hurt," he said after the game. "We're going to play her as though she's full speed and ready to go and everything like that. That's how we do business. If we think otherwise, we put ourselves at a disadvantage."

Game 3 of the best-of-five series tips off on Sunday.