WNBA: Mitchell and Talbot stand up for Phoenix
New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm all secured wins this week, with some excellent performances from our Aussies in Phoenix and Whitcomb in Seattle.
New York Liberty suffered a loss against Connecticut, going down by 20 points at 96-76. The Liberty were beaten on the outside, as Connecticut’s sharp shooting gave them an edge. Rebecca Allen provided 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots.
Things turned around for the Liberty, when they came up against Dallas a few days later and took the win at 102–93. The Liberty’s Shavonte Zellous dominated the game with 28 points, alongside WNBA veteran Tina Charles who had 25 points and 10 rebounds. Allen was only able to provide 2 rebounds in this game.
Phoenix Mercury were lucky to get away with a win, overcoming the Chicago Sky at 86 – 78. The Mercury forced too many turnovers for the Sky, who also put Phoenix to the line far too many times. Whilst Cayla George didn’t take to the court, both Leilani Mitchell and Steph Talbot were more than capable of carrying the Aussie flag during this game. Mitchell had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, while Talbot provided 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Things didn’t go as well for Phoenix when they came up against LA Sparks a few days later, suffering a big loss at 90–59. The match did mark Diana Taurasi surpassing the WNBA All-Time Scoring total, to ensure that her mark is left on the league. It was a tough day in the office for the entire Mercury team, but the Aussies were able to provide some impact. Talbot had 5 points, 2 assists, George had 6 points, 6 rebounds and Mitchell had 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Seattle gave their home crowd something to cheer about, with a massive 75 – 57 point win over San Antonio Stars. Supporting Breanna Stewart’s solid 22 point and 15 rebound effort was naturalised Australian Sami Whitcomb, who provided 9 points and 3 rebounds.
