Mercury defeats Las Vegas Aces in Sin City with Copper’s return

The Mercury had a slow start in the opening minutes against the Aces, shooting 33.3% from the field and 16.7% from three. Both teams were tied after the first quarter, 20-20, but Phoenix quickly found their footing in the second.

Phoenix improved on their three-point attempts, making four out of seven. Satou Sabally quickly took over scoring with 18 points and the Mercury took a 43-39 lead at the end of the first half.

As the second half started, Phoenix opened up their biggest lead of the game with 11 points off a three-point shot from Lexi Held, 60-49. The Aces rallied in the final three minutes of the third quarter, keeping the Mercury scoreless and cutting the deficit to six points. However, it wasn’t enough to keep Phoenix down.

The Aces did their best to catch up to the Mercury — at one point only down four — but ultimately fell.

Satou Sabally was Phoenix’s lead scorer with 22 points, shooting 40.0% from the field and 37.5% from three.

Chelsea Gray led the scoring for Las Vegas with 20 points and shooting 47.1% from the field.

Copper’s Return

Tonight was the first time Copper, Sabally and Alyssa Thomas played together for the Mercury this season. Copper missed time due to a left knee injury and scored 11 points in her return.

Head coach Nate Tibbetts spoke to reporters after the game and said the trio did well but it will take time to make adjustments. He credited Copper for second-half performance.

“It’s going to take a little bit of time,” he said, referencing the rotations used against the Aces compared to the other games. “I was happy with how [Copper] played in the second half.”

Continuing The Road Trip

The Phoenix Mercury heads to Connecticut to face the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, June 18.