The Phoenix Mercury continues to contribute in a blowout win over the Liberty 96-67. Despite foul troubles in the first three-quarters of play, the mighty mercury managed to step up loud on both offense and defense. This victory also puts the Mercury to a .500 record after a 0-2 start. Let’s take a look at how the Mercury dominated the Liberty.
🔥 @DianaTaurasi dishes out the no-look assist to @Breezyyy14 who drains the triple! #4TheValley
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 2, 2020
📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/wrJASw3iY0
Bria Hartley Had A Career Day In Scoring!
Need a bucket?
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 2, 2020
Call @Breezyyy14. #4TheValley pic.twitter.com/vl9Ok57QOw
Phoenix Mercury guard Bria Hartley continues to contribute to the bench against her former team. She scored a career-high 27 points, setting a WNBA record in most points scored by a bench player through the first four games of the season. Hartley 27, seems to be a great addition to the Mercury, who had an injury-plagued season last year. Also, she is one of the names to win the WNBA Sixth Woman Of The Year award. Hartley also stepped up big in both offense and defense with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. A UConn alum is starting to shine in Phoenix!
Hartley stated that she gives credit to head coach Sandy Brondello for being prepared for the bubble season:
“It’s no secret I’m a scoring guard,” Hartley said. “In some other offense, it was more trying to fit as a pass-first point guard. Here you have great passers like DT (Diana Taurasi) and playmakers like Sky (Diggins-Smith), so I’m able to focus on coming off being aggressive, but I can still be a playmaker. Sandy (Brondello) encouraged me to come into training camp be looking to shoot, be ready. It’s encouraging to hear a coach say that to you. I do think this is my style of basketball.”
-Mercury Guard Bria Hartley
Mercury Knew That Hartley Would Impact The Team. She Has Surprised The Fans
Mercury Head coach Sandy Brondello thought of Hartley as a significant player that contributes to both scoring and defending. However, fans disagreed on a $185k max deal signing of Hartley in free agency. She quoted:
“I’ve always thought she’d been a fantastic player, I don’t think she was always used in the right way, but the girl is a scorer. She’s also an adamant defender. People were talking about how much we paid, but that’s how much we thought about her because we thought she’d complement the players we have. She’s certainly dispelling that (being overpaid) at the moment.”
-Mercury HC Sandy Brondello
The Big Three Doing Great Things For Phoenix
Everyone is welcome to DT’s block party 🚫#4TheValley pic.twitter.com/Kh5b1PVAvx
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 2, 2020
The Phoenix’s Big Three is not only scoring in the paint, but they also contribute to the defense with a block party for the Mercury! Skylar Diggins-Smith, who turns 30 today, had 4 blocked shots and scored 10 points. She also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner also prevented the Liberty from scoring twice, four blocks altogether, as the Mercury defense has stepped up loud for the last two games.
Taurasi almost had a double-double with 18 points, 9 assists, and 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Not to mention her assists to her teammates seems to be amazing. Brittney Griner, who was in foul trouble with five personals, scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to seal the Mercury’s win. She also tallied 16 points and 6 rebounds. The new-look Big Three appears to be fantastic on both sides of the game for Phoenix!
The Three Youngsters Had A Significant Impact For Phoenix
.@AlannaSmith96‘s got double figures! #4TheValley pic.twitter.com/j98fJL1ruL
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 2, 2020
Last year, the Phoenix Mercury contribute on draft night by acquiring three out of the top 13 picks in the 2019 draft; Alanna Smith, drafted eighth from Stanford, Sophie Cunningham, selected 13th from Missouri, and Brianna Turner, acquired in a trade from Atlanta and drafted 11th from Notre Dame. General manager Pitman and Head coach Brondello did a fantastic job contributing to last year’s draft. The youngster’s they brought to the Mercury have a bright future for the organization.
Brianna Turner, a member of the 2019 WNBA All-rookie team, stepped up in rebounding with 11 rebounds and added in 7 points and 3 assists in the power forward position. Sophie Cunningham started in small forward for the second straight game and made a difference on the Mercury’s defense. She had a quiet scoring with only 2 points and collected 2 rebounds. Alanna Smith, who missed the rest of last season due to ankle surgery, continues to step up for the Mercury with 11 points and 7 rebounds. That is why the Phoenix Mercury continues to contribute on both sides of the floor.
Phoenix Bench Has Been Fantastic
The bench for the Phoenix Mercury contributes in an impactful way as they scored a total of 142 points through the first four games this season. The Mercury also allowed the opponent (Liberty) to score under 70 points for the first time this season. Phoenix had a field goal percentage of 48.5 percent and won the rebounding battle over New York 47-34. The Mercury next play against the Atlanta Dream on ESPN 2 at 4 pm PCT/7 pm EST.
If you guys want to read my article I have written for the Phoenix Mercury on Beyond Women’s Sports, I talk about a practice in the bubble. I also wrote on “Why I Admire Diana Taurasi,” as I talk about the energy she uses in the game of basketball! I’ve been watching Taurasi play for the Mercury for four years now, and she is fantastic on both ends of the court, and her leadership is incredible, too. Also, read on how Phoenix’s Big Three dominated in scoring vs. Las Vegas on Friday night. Please give it a read!
Also, if you guys want more content of the bubble season, follow @wnba_wubble on Instagram. This past week, WNBA games have been expanded by 13 on nationally televised games this season. The WNBA is SO essential with all of this energy, keep cheering out loud for your favorite WNBA teams, and watch more games!
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @ayaabdeen__ for more content. Follow my Diana Taurasi fan page on Instagram @dtaurasi3_fp. And check out more WNBA articles by the Beyond Women’s Sports team.
