The Phoenix Mercury will try to win its fourth consecutive game when they entertain the New York Liberty on Friday at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Ariz.Phoenix (7-9) has won three in a row to move into a tie with Dallas for third place in the WNBAs Western Conference. In the past week, the Mercury has posted wins over Washington, New York and Connecticut.Sonja Petrovic had a career-high 22 points in an 86-75 victory over Connecticut on Wednesday. Brittney Griner had 19 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots. DeWanna Bonner added 18 points for Phoenix, which shot 50.8 percent from the field while holding the Sun to 38.2-percent shooting.Candice Dupree had 26 points and seven rebounds while Diana Taurasi added 24 points in the Mercurys 104-97 overtime victory over New York on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Tina Charles led the Liberty with 26 points and eight rebounds. Sugar Rodgers had 24 points.Beating New York for the second time in six days would be an impressive feat for Phoenix. The Liberty has won seven of its last eight games and is coming off a 95-92 overtime victory against a Minnesota squad that won its first 13 games to set a WNBA record for consecutive victories to start a season. It was New Yorks fourth overtime game in its last five outings.Rodgers scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Minnesota. Amanda Zahui B. made her first career start, posting 17 points and nine rebounds in place of Charles, who underwent a procedure Tuesday to repair a broken nose.Charles sustained the broken nose in a June 22 game against Atlanta. She played two games before sitting out against Minnesota, posting 21 points with 13 rebounds against Chicago and 26 points with 15 rebounds against Indiana. The team has not indicated when Charles will return. 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LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse.RIO DE JANEIRO -- The United States won its 1,000th gold medal in the Summer Olympics on Saturday night, which is a truly extraordinary achievement, especially when you consider that no other country is within even 600 of that mark. But that wasnt the only historic win on Saturday. U.S. athlete Jeff Henderson won the countrys 22nd gold medal in the long jump, the most ever won by any country in a single Olympic event.It feels good to be in that category. It feels surreal right now, Henderson said. I guarantee you, Carl Lewis cant say nothing about it now.Lewis, who won four consecutive gold medals in the long jump, has recently said that the long jump is track and fields worst event these days. He points out that Jesse Owens would have won a bronze medal in the event at the 2012 Olympics with his best jump way back in 1936. There is no sport where some person from 80 years ago could consistently be competitive now, Lewis said. That makes us the worst event in the world.It is not the worst event, but Lewis has a point, considering how the winning leaps are not close to what they once were. Henderson is the first American to win gold since Dwight Phillips in 2004 and just the second to win since Lewis retired after the 1996 Olympics. Even 20-plus years after that retirement, Hendersons winning jump of 8.38 meters on Saturday wouldnt have matched any of Lewis Olympic marks. But it would have won in 2012 and 2008, so there is improvement.Its the coaching staff that is motivating us, Henderson said. I know last year, we didnt do so well at the world championships, but we did very well at these Olympics.The U.S. almost won gold and silver on Saturday, when Jarrion Lawsons final jump appeared that it might edge Hendersons. Lawsons hand, however, fell back behind him during his landing, and the judges therefore shortened his distance. He finished fourth behind silver medalist Luvo Manyonga of South Africa who leaped 8.37 and 2012 gold medalist Greg Rutherford of Great Briitain, who took bronze with a jump of 8.dddddddddddd29.Henderson was in position to take home silver rather than gold with a top leap of 8.25 meters before his final jump. After tapping his feet three times, as he does as part of his pre-jump ritual, Henderson raced down the runway and leaped so far that he was certain upon landing that he had just won gold.It was the 999th gold won by an American (the U.S. womens relay team in swimming won the 1,000th), which stunned Henderson when he was informed of that.Oh wow. I didnt know. That feels amazing, he said. To be in that category now, feels awesome. To have that gold medal here and to know I was 999, it feels good. Im in a dream. I cant wait until tomorrow for the ceremony and come out to get that gold medal around my neck.He actually already had a gold medal before his jump, though it was not his. Henderson is coached by Al Joyner, who won gold in the 1984 triple jump. Joyner reportedly gave Henderson his gold medal before Saturdays event to motivate him, but the jumper gave it back because, well, he has his own now.Which makes Henderson part of Americas impressive history in the long jump. That history includes winning gold in 20 of the first 23 modern Olympics -- and 13 of the first 14.I know a lot about the history. I know about Carl and Mike Powell. But right now, I dont feel like Im part of that history, Henderson said. I know I won the gold medal here and it feels great, but I still dont feel like Im in that place, in that category, right now. Not right now.He will after it sinks in.In the meantime, what is Lewis saying right now about Americans and the long jump?He is biting his tongue now, Henderson said. I know Carl. We talked before. Were good friends. I have nothing against Carl. He always gives advice and its excellent advice. And I cant wait to hear what he says after this. ' ' '