Mercury Stall Sun, 72-63
WNBA Connecticut Sun

Mercury Stall Sun, 72-63

Published on July 19, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release


Phoenix, AZ - The Connecticut Sun (7-19) fell to the Phoenix Mercury (9-18), 72-63, Sunday at Mortgage Matchup Center.

Brittney Griner took home 19 points off 7-of-12 shooting alongside five rebounds and two blocks. Olivia Nelson-Ododa notched a double-double, matching 12 points and 12 rebounds, alongside three assists and a steal. Nell Angloma added eight points off the bench.

Connecticut grabbed the first points of the night behind a close-up basket from Nelson-Ododa. DeWanna Bonner got hot with a jumper from within field goal range before Monique Akoa Makani went to the rim for a basket. Bonner battled to the rim for another make after Griner lobbed one in from the paint. Akoa Makani came in again with a big layup at the rim, but Griner answered that with a bucket to keep the Sun within one possession. Bonner and Nelson-Ododa traded points before Diamond Miller tied it at 10 points with just over four minutes remaining. Griner grabbed a second-chance point to give Connecticut a slight lead, but Valeriane Ayayi shot from mid-range to tie again. Akoa Makani got in quick on a fastbreak, and Natasha Mack scored her first points of the night to seal the first frame with an 18-12 lead.

Kennedy Burke opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to close the Mercury's six-point advantage, and Nelson-Ododa shot a dagger from within the arc to bring the Sun within one point. Lexi Held made her first bucket of the night. Alyssa Thomas and Nelson-Ododa swapped points before Leila Lacan made one from downtown. Noemie Brochant also made her first points of the night from seven feet out. Nelson-Ododa got in under the rim, but Kahleah Copper responded on the next possession with one of her own. Charlisse Leger-Walker broke through with a two to take the lead just over halfway through the quarter. Akoa Makani found a three to battle back for the lead, but Lacan came in to tie at 29. Bonner shot from beyond the arc and followed that up with a contested layup and the and-1 to reassert Phoenix's six-point lead. Griner grabbed two at the charity stripe. Copper and Nell Angloma followed suit, but Akoa Makani was efficient to grab two more. Mack rushed in to grab two as well, while Thomas added two more from the foul line to give Phoenix a 10-point lead heading into the halftime break.

Griner opened the third with a lob, and the Sun got a defensive stoppage to keep Phoenix scoreless on the first possession. Griner grabbed two more off free throws before Thomas scored the Mercury's first points of the half after nearly three minutes being held without points. Griner added five more back-to-back points to bring the Sun within three points, but Copper expanded the Mercury buffer. Bonner added to that with two makes at the charity stripe, inflating Phoenix back up seven points. Burke made a shot from downtown, but Bonner, yet again, spaced it out. Ayayi rushed in, grabbing two plus the and-1. Miller fired off from mid-range and later grabbed two at the foul line to bring Connecticut within five points. Miller forced a critical turnover at the end of the third frame to stop Phoenix from scoring before entering the fourth quarter.

Burke started the quarter forcing another critical turnover, but Copper claimed the first basket of the final frame. Angloma shot a dagger from downtown, yet Brochant answered for Phoenix to keep the lead. Angloma snagged a second-chance basket and an and-1 to bring Connecticut within three points. Copper got a basket of her own, but Lacan was sent to the line to pick up two more points. Griner got in two more points with five minutes remaining. Leger-Walker rushed in to pick up another two, plus an and-1, Connecticut now within one point of tying. Copper responded down the stretch and snagged two extra points at the line to regain a six-point lead. Nelson-Ododa added one point at the line with two minutes remaining, but Bonner got one in falling out of bounds. Bonner and Thomas combined to grab another two points off free throws to win the game by nine.

Phoenix outperformed Connecticut in assists, 19-13, and steals, 11-6. The Mercury also won the points in paint battle, grabbing 44 compared to the Sun's 34. Connecticut struggled with turnovers, having 21, in which Phoenix picked up 22 points; the Sun could only force 14 turnovers and get nine points off them. Phoenix also outperformed in fastbreak points, with 12 to Connecticut's three.

Game Notes:

The Mercury grabbed 11 steals and 21 turnovers, while the Sun could only get six steals with 14 turnovers.

Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST

CON 63 12 21 16 14 Griner - 19 Nelson-Ododa - 12 Leger-Walker - 5

PHX 72 18 25 11 18 Bonner - 21 Bonner/Thomas/Akoa Makani - 6 Thomas - 11

NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun travel to Indiana to take on the Fever on Wednesday, 7/22 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7 PM EST.

Check out the Connecticut Sun Statistics

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