Rookie Jovana Nogic helps Mercury ruin Aces' title celebration

Rookie Jovana Nogic made an immediate splash in her WNBA debut, scoring all 19 of her points in the first half of the Phoenix Mercury's 99-66 rout of the host Las Vegas Aces on Saturday.

The 28-year-old Serbia native connected on her first four 3-point attempts to lead Phoenix (1-0) to a dominant start in a rematch of last season's WNBA finals.

All five starters for Phoenix scored in double figures, led by Alyssa Thomas' game-high 20 points. Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner scored 13 points apiece while Natasha Mack grabbed 15 rebounds to go with her 10 points.

Las Vegas (0-1) sputtered offensively with little scoring support behind reigning Most Valuable Player A'ja Wilson and veteran guard Jackie Young.

The duo combined for 26 of the Aces' 35 first-half points. Wilson finished with 19 points while Young added 12. No other Las Vegas scorer reached double figures until NaLyssa Smith hit 11 and Chennedy Carter netted 10 in garbage time.

The Mercury jumped to a 21-point lead by intermission, spoiling Saturday's celebration of the Aces' 2025 championship. The first-half blitz was punctuated by Nogic's fourth 3-pointer just before halftime -- and the deficit only swelled from there.

Nogic knocked down a pair of her triples as part of a pivotal 14-2 run spanning the first 4:08 of the second quarter. In one sequence, she buried a 3-pointer on one end, intercepted a pass on the other and fed Bonner for the assist in transition.

The crescendo pushed the Mercury lead to 41-23 with 5:52 left in the first half. It never dropped below 15 the rest of the way.

Thomas and Bonner ignited a 19-2 run to close out the third quarter. The deluge snuffed any hope of a Las Vegas rally.

Thomas dished nine assists and grabbed six rebounds to complement her scoring high. Kianna Williams came off the bench to knock down three 3-pointers on the way to 11 points.

Williams was also one of four Mercury with multiple steals, joining Mack and Nogic with two apiece. Thomas swiped three as Phoenix forced Las Vegas into 17 turnovers that turned into 19 points.