Sophie Cunningham to start 1st game of the season for Mercury with Rebecca Allen out

Coming off the bench, Cunningham has played all five games in different positions when relied upon, demonstrating her versatility and dependability up and down the lineup.

She has averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists this season. In her six-year WNBA career with Phoenix as a whole, the Mizzou alum has 7.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in 147 games (71 starts).

As for Allen, she is not with the team and there is no timeline for a return since she is in concussion protocol.

Against the Dallas Wings on Saturday, she fell on the court after a collision in the third quarter and ended up suffering a head injury. Dealing with multiple setbacks, Allen has been injured multiple times this season as she sustained both a hip injury during the preseason and a back injury before being able to play vs. the Atlanta Dream.

Through the injury troubles, however, the Australian native has been penciled in as a starter in all five games this season. Allen is averaging 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game for the Mercury.

Knowing how Allen can impact any given game and how this injury will weigh on the rest of the group, Tibbetts explained how her absence is a huge blow and wished her a safe recovery.

“I feel terrible that she [Allen] is not here with the concussion,” Tibbetts said. “She’s filling the need that we wanted and that’s why we went out and got her. She is the ultimate role player that plays with stars. She crashes the boards and she can contest shots at a high rate. I know we wish and she wishes that she was back here tonight.”

The Mercury are set to face the Sun in under an hour of publishing as the first tip will be at 4 p.m. PT.