New York ? Maybe Cleveland should play back-to-back games more often.

Penny Taylor scored 15 of her 20 points in the second half as the Rockers beat New York for the second time in a week with a 67-58 win Friday night.

Portland guard Stacey Thomas (11) drives against Washington's Annie Burgess, left, and Vicky Bullet. Thomas scored 12 points in the Fire's 72-66 victory Friday in Portland, Ore.

Taylor, who broke out of a slump Thursday with 24 points against Sacramento, hit four three-pointers as the Rockers won for the second night in a row. Cleveland buried the Liberty by hitting eight of 10 from beyond the arc, and Merlakia Jones scored 13 points for the Rockers, who frustrated the Liberty with tough defense and didn’t show signs of fatigue.

“It feels good to be .500,” Cleveland coach Dan Hughes said. “I worry about back-to-backs, but I’ve got a lot of confidence in them. We’ve always been good in the second games. For whatever reason, this team really digs down for you.”

Tari Phillips scored 18 for the Liberty despite spraining her left ankle midway through the second half. She returned to the game and scored six points down the stretch, but missed a pair of layups with 1:08 left.

Cleveland point guard Jennifer Rizzotti sprained her right ankle in the second half and did not return.

Phillips hit a pair of free throws and Becky Hammon had a layup to cut Cleveland’s lead to 42-38 with 13:04 to go, but the Rockers regained their stroke from beyond the three-point arc and the Liberty went cold.

Fire 72, Mystics 66

Portland, Ore. Stacey Thomas and Kristin Folkl each scored 12 points as the Portland Fire nearly blew a 20-point lead in the second half but held on. Ukari Figgs and Sylvia Crawley each had 11 points for the Fire (6-8), who beat the top two Eastern Conference teams in consecutive games. Portland defeated second-place Orlando on Wednesday. Coco Miller led the Mystics (10-4) with 17 points. Stacey Dales-Schuman added 14 points and six assists.

Sparks 84, Mercury 72

Phoenix Lisa Leslie had 18 points and 14 rebounds, leading Los Angeles. Leslie did all her scoring in the first 28 minutes, helping the Sparks (12-1) open a double-digit lead that stood up. Los Angeles won its ninth in a row this year and 11th straight against Phoenix, including two playoff wins in 2000. Phoenix’s Gordana Grubin matched her career high with 23 points, and Jennifer Gillom had 16 for the Mercury (7-5).

Comets 73, Starzz 57

Houston Sheryl Swoopes tied a season high with 27 points as Houston earned its sixth straight victory. The loss snapped Utah’s four-game winning streak. Swoopes shot 10-for-19. Seventeen of her points came in the first half.

Sol 78, Shock 74, OT

Auburn Hills, Mich. Sheri Sam scored a career-high 27 points to help Miami (3-9) end a four-game losing streak and keep Detroit winless. Detroit (0-13) made 30 of 39 free throws. Shock rookie forward Swin Cash set franchise records for free throws made (15) and attempted (21).

Fever 67, Monarchs 60

Indianapolis Tamika Catchings had 21 points and 12 rebounds as Indiana overcame a 16-point deficit. The Indiana rookie, who came into the game second in the WNBA in scoring with 18.3 points and fourth in rebounding at 8.8, had 15 points in the second half as the Fever erased a 31-26 Sacramento lead.