WNBA: Mitchell shines for Mercury
The Mercury staged what was looking like the ultimate comeback, from being 9 points down in the first quarter to Connecticut to almost come back and steal the win. Connecticut were too strong however, and managed to hold on by a thread and take home a 1 point win.
Leilani Mitchell was one of Phoenix's strongest as she had her best game by far this season. Mitchell banked a huge 17 points, 8 assists and 3 rebounds to ignite the Mercury to an almost-comeback victory. Talbot was also solid with 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists and Cayla George managed 2 points and 3 rebounds.
https://twitter.com/PhoenixMercury/status/893618041090592768
https://twitter.com/PhoenixMercury/status/893630765010796544
New York were also left thinking 'what if' after their close encounter with the LA Sparks. New York were hanging on, but an 11-25 3rd term in favour of the Sparks put this one a little out of reach, and LA took away and 87-74 point victory. Led by the work of Candace Parker, the Sparks were just a touch cleaner with the ball and made the most of their opportunities. Rebecca Allen had a solid game with 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists to her name.
Here's some of Allen's handy work alongside recent WNBL import Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe.
https://twitter.com/nyliberty/status/893687076088107008
The Seattle Storm were outclassed by the Dallas Wings, who put forward a dominant second term that put this game out of reach for the Storm. Seattle went down 80-93. It was a performance ignited by the Wings' dynamic guard Skylar Diggins-Smith who put on a show with 23 points and 7 assists. The Storm were massively out-rebounded 46-25, which gave Dallas far too many opportunities to score. Sami Whitcomb had a quiet game managing just the 3 rebounds.
Seattle had to get themselves into gear the next day, coming up against the San Antonio Stars. It was no easy effort, as a dominant 17-9 final quarter in favour of the Storm forced this one into overtime. However Seattle weren't able to stop Kayla McBride and Kelsey Plum, and eventually lost this one 87-80. Sami Whitcomb played a key role in this game and helped spark Seattle's offense when they needed it. Whitcomb provided 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in one of her best games yet for the season.
Things didn't look up for Seattle later in the week, as they couldn't find a way to win against a dominant Connecticut Sun who won this one at 84-71. Seattle gave Connecticut far too many opportunities to win this one, giving them 24 free shots after committing 21 fouls.
Phoenix Mercury had a tight game against Washington, but weren't able to overcome the lead the Mystics clung onto and went down by 5 points. The Mystics dominated the boards, making the most of the absent Brittney Griner with 42 rebounds, to the Mercury's 26. It was a quiet day for the Aussie trio, as Leilani Mitchell had 4 points and 5 assists, and George and Talbot struggled to make impact.
New York were ignited straight off the bat against Indiana, and were able to hang onto their early lead and take the win at 81-76. It was a mammoth effort from veteran Tina Charles who dominated with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Allen contributed 4 points and 3 rebounds.
Leilani Mitchell's Inspiring Story
The Mercury are supporting Breast Health Awareness Week and to help raise awareness, Leilani Mitchell has shared an inspiring story about her family's battle against Breast Cancer. Make sure you check it out here.