Turnovers a cause of concern for Mercury, team will analyze steps toward resolution

Over the past two games in which their opponents have capitalized off of turnovers, the Phoenix Mercury understands ball possession has been an issue that they will have to work on if they want to be successful as the season progresses.

Limiting Turnovers = Stronger Chance to Win

Taking on the back-to-back WNBA champions in the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday, the Mercury were looking to rebound after their opening night matchup didn’t go in their favor, losing 89-80. Phoenix gave the ball away 17 times in the first defeat.

Attached along with a 37-point performance by Kahleah Copper, Phoenix only turned over the ball seven times, getting revenge with a 98-88 win.

Knowing that ball possession can be a key decider in determining who is going to win any given game, the Mercury wanted to continue the positive trend and carry it back to the Valley.

But in their return to Phoenix, the problem emerged once again.

Recent Ball Possession Woes Hurting Mercury

Against the Washington Mystics on Thursday, the Mercury coughed the ball up seven times in the first quarter and had 17 turnovers overall. Even with the lapses, however, Phoenix did pull off a narrow, 83-80 victory.

Acknowledging that the turnovers were a sticking point which led to the Mystics outscoring Phoenix 24-13 in the fourth quarter and drawing within three, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts was adamant that this was an area of concern that his team has to work on.

“Part of the reason why we were good in Vegas was because we took care of it [the ball],” Tibbetts said after beating the Mystics. “We didn’t do a good job tonight to start and we got better as the game went on, but we have to be better than 17 turnovers.”

While it didn’t cost them in the end regarding the end result, Phoenix’s possession woes would come back to haunt them when going up against WNBA superstar Arike Ogunbowale and the Dallas Wings.

The Wings outscored the Mercury massively 52-26 in the paint and made Phoenix commit 19 turnovers, contributing to a further 20 points. Dallas had the momentum early on and never let it go en route to a 107-92 victory.

“I’m not sure, gonna have to look at the film,” Tibbetts said about the turnovers following Saturday’s loss. “Some of it might have been their [Dallas] good defense, some of it is not taking care of it [the ball]. Eight is too many in the first quarter, especially when we are getting stops, throwing it out and giving it to them. We need to do a better job of that for sure.”

So far this season, the Mercury has a combined total of 72 turnovers, with half of them coming in the last two games alone, 36.

Trying to comprehend what is leading to these mistakes while in possession, Diana Taurasi believes the more time the team plays together, the more they will be acclimated to each teammate’s tendencies.

“It’s just little things, we are still learning each other and learning what coach wants from us,” Taurasi said. “It’s only our fifth game together, so I think there is still that learning curve that we are going through. Obviously we got to take care of the ball in this league. If you turn it over, it’s two points the other way. It’s crucial for us to take care of the ball and find a way to stay even on the boards.”