Jun 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (1) drives past Seattle Storm guard Lexie Brown (8) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Mercury's Held Gets Going In College

Originally posted on Phoenix Mercury On SI
By Davion Moore | Last updated Feb 16, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Phoenix Mercury found some talented players last year, and while they did not have any draft picks, they found some good rookies.

Lexi Held was one of those rookies, and she averaged 5.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Her standout performance was against the Golden State Valkyries, and she had 24 points. She also had two assists and a steal.

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Held went undrafted in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and she played internationally before coming to Phoenix. The Mercury guard attended DePaul, and during those years, she had some nice performances.

In her four years, she averaged 13.0 points, 3.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Her third year was her best, and she averaged 16.6 points during that period.

The sharpshooting guard started her college journey in the 2018-19 season, and in her freshman season, she averaged 8.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds. Held made her debut against Green Bay and her team picked up a 73-64 win. She did not score in that game, and she played three minutes.

Held has big game, establishes herself

Held saw limited action in those early games, but in her sixth game, she had a chance to prove herself. She had 28 points in her team's 124-61 win over Savannah State. She also had three steals, two rebounds and two assists. She made five 3-pointers, and she attempted 10.

Phoenix's 3-point threat had seven points in the next game, but she responded with a 13-point outing. The first game was against UConn, and the second was against Temple. DePaul went 1-1 in those games, and Held knocked down 3-pointers in both of those games.

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After the win over Temple, Held had three points against Northwestern. Then, she went on a run, as she had 10 or more points in the next five games. She had 17 points against Oklahoma, and she continued to shine in DePaul's games against Tennessee State, Loyola Chicago, Creighton and Providence.

Held continued to contribute throughout the season, and later on, she had another 28-point game. DePaul faced Seton Hall, and it resulted in a 94-85 win. The sharpshooter had two assists and two rebounds to go with her points. She played well, and she made four 3-pointers in that game.