SEATTLE (AP) Sue Bird scored 13 points and handed out 10 assists, Camille Little led Seattle with 18 points and the defending WNBA champion Storm opened the 2011 season with a 78-71 win over of the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.
Lauren Jackson added 15 points and seven rebounds as Seattle built a big fourth-quarter lead and then watched Phoenix's Diana Taurasi try to rally the Mercury in the closing seconds.
Taurasi scored a game-high 31, including 11 in the closing minutes as Phoenix trimmed a 19-point deficit to within five with 16 seconds left.
Temeka Johnson had four points, four rebounds and four assists.
Box Score: http://on.nba.com/jWsZKR