On Tuesday night at Footprint Center in Phoenix, the Mercury were defeated by the Washington Mystics 100-77.
The loss extended the Mercury’s current losing streak to nine games.
With the win, the Washington Mystics became the sixth team to clinch a WNBA playoff spot.
Before the game, Jim Pitman was honored for his 10th and final season as the Mercury’s General Manager.
With Sophia Cunningham (Jaw) out, and Diana Taurasi (Left Toe) missing her third straight game, Sug Sutton got into the starting lineup. In Taurasi’s absence, Sutton has been one of the Mercury’s best players, averaging 12.7 points per game.
The Mercury struggled out of the gates, turning the ball over seven times in the first half compared to the Mystics’ two.
The team seemed to struggle to set up the offense that Head Coach Nikki Blue wanted.
The offense was more productive in the second half, with Brittney Griner and Michaela Onyenwere coming to the forefront after halftime.
As a result of her outstanding second-half performance, Brittney Griner finished with 16 points, and became the 24th player in WNBA history to reach 5,000 career points.
Elana Delle Donne had a huge night for the Mystics, scoring 24 points with four rebounds.
Blue spoke about injuries hampering the team’s play after the game.
“I didn’t think we gave our best effort like we usually do,” Blue said. “I think our numbers are pretty limited right now and it’s really tough consistency wise. We just don’t have enough players right now.”
With a 9-29 record after Tuesday’s loss, the Phoenix Mercury will not be playing in the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2012. Blue sees these last two games as an opportunity for growth.
“We still practice and compete like we’re 29-9,” Blue said. “I think it’s really important for us to continue to fight, regardless of the circumstances. And this is a life lesson, when things get tough, you don’t just crumble and go under a rock, you fight back and you continue to do so. Our fight is going to continue to keep us growing this year, and next year too.”
Forward Michaela Onyenwere played 30 minutes, and scored 19 points for the Mercury. She is seeing all of her hard work and training pay off from this season.
“I think in the past, I’ve been caught not really knowing what to do, but I felt like tonight I was reading the defense, the close-outs, and how they were guarding me,” Onyenwere said. “People like DT (Diana Taurasi) are in my ear telling me to keep going. Things may not be great right now, but I want to control what I can control, and that really helped me change my mindset to be more aggressive.”
Mercury Forward Megan Gustafson wants to keep playing the best basketball that she can to show her appreciation for the loyal Mercury fans.
“The X-Factor has been amazing, despite our record, and despite being at the bottom of the standings,” Gustafson said. “It’s really special to have the fans and we want to keep playing hard, and hopefully we can get a win or two coming up.”
The Mercury will play their final home game of the season against the Las Vegas Aces on Friday at 7p.m. MST at Footprint Center.
