SATURDAY’S OTHER GAMES

Cleveland 65, Charlotte 58--Eva Nemcova scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half and the Rockers beat the Sting before 13,786 at Cleveland. It was the Rockers’ fourth consecutive victory and eighth in nine games.

The Rockers (16-9) moved within half a game of first-place Charlotte (17-9) in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference.

Vicki Bullett led the Sting, who have lost six of 10, with 17 points.

Charlotte dominated most of the first half, leading 29-17 with 4:53 left. The Rockers went on an 8-0 run, but the Sting led 31-25 at halftime.

Charlotte did not get closer than four points the rest of the game.

Phoenix 68, Utah 62--At Phoenix, Brandy Reed scored seven of her career-high 13 points and had three steals in the final 6:40 as the Mercury kept their playoff hopes alive with a victory over the Starzz before 16,823.

The Mercury stayed within half a game of New York for the fourth seed in the playoffs. The Liberty won the season series, so Phoenix (14-10) would need to finish a game ahead of New York to qualify for the postseason.

Bridget Pettis had 21 points and eight rebounds, Jennifer Gillom had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Marlies Askamp scored 12 points for the Mercury.

Utah’s Margo Dydek had 19 points and seven blocks, but just four rebounds--a symptom of the Starzz’s problems. The Mercury outrebounded Utah, 43-23, including 19-3 on the offensive glass.