Former UConn star Diana Taurasi out for the remainder of WNBA season with quad injury

Former UConn star Diana Taurasi will miss the rest of the WNBA season with a right quad strain, the Phoenix Mercury announced Monday.

Taurasi didn’t play in the team’s two games since exiting with the injury in the second quarter of a loss against the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena last Tuesday.

The 40-year-old had been averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 31 games for the Mercury this season. She has scored at least 25 points on six occasions this year, including a 30-point performance against the Las Vegas Aces on July 28 that made her the first player in WNBA history to score at least 30 points at age 40. She is just the third player in NBA or WNBA history to do so, joining elite company alongside Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki.

Phoenix signed guard Yvonne “Vonnie” Turner to a hardship contract to replace Taurasi. She was previously with the franchise from 2017-19.

The news of the injury comes with three games left in the regular season for the Mercury, who are in eighth place in the WNBA standings and clinging on to the final playoff spot.

With the Atlanta Dream holding the same 14-19 record in seventh place and the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks all currently one game back, it’ll be a tight race to the finish line this week.