Auburn Hills, MI (AHN) - The Detroit Shock (12-5) lived up to their team nickname Sunday night, by zapping the visiting Phoenix Mercury (11-8), 111-82, using a league-record 40-point third period en rout to a league-record 72-point half.

Detroit's offensive explosion was led by forward Katie Smith who dropped 20 points on the Mercury and Deanna Nolan who chipped in 18.

"We got back to basics,'' said Smith, who scored 12 of her 20 points in a 21-2 third-quarter run. "We rebounded and we attacked the basket.''

The rout was a surprise for Detroit which has been playing a more spirited brand of basketball ever since head coach Bill Laimbeer benched the team's all-star center, Kara Braxton, for her recent lethargic play.

"Kara's role right now is ... we'll have to see,'' Laimbeer said. "It's probably going to change from day to day.''

Down by a basket at the half, Detroit blitzed the Mercury with an unexpected 40-point third quarter to take a commanding 79-60 lead heading into the final quarter.

"That's just something that happened,'' Laimbeer said. "We got them on their heels and we started hitting shots.''

Detroit placed six players in double figures in scoring and broke its own record for points in a half by six.

Mercury head coach Paul Westhead was nearly speechless afterward.

"We were sharp in the first half, but sharp only matters if you do it for 40 minutes,'' Westhead said. "They shot the ball well and they rebounded well, and we struggled to score. That's not a good combination.''

Phoenix was led by Tangela Smith who scored 16 points.

All-star forward, Diana Taurasi finished 2-for-12 from the field for five points.

"We're a fast-break team and they slowed the game down a little,'' Smith said. "That's our style and they took that away from us. That was smart.''

Taurasi did have a league-record five steals in the first quarter, but Detroit wore down their opponents as Laimbeer told his players to get physical with the Mercury.

"When you post up, elbow them in the face and make them make a call,'' Laimbeer shouted to his players during the second quarter.