New on Sports Illustrated: Mercury Eliminate Defending Champion Storm, Advance to Semis Behind Griner's Double-Double

-

Phoenix moves on to the WNBA semifinals after a 85–80 overtime win against Seattle behind 23 points and 16 rebounds from Brittney Griner.

View the
original article to see embedded media.

Behind Brittney Griner's 23 points and 16 rebounds, the Mercury eliminated the defending WNBA champions with a thrilling 85–80 overtime victory over the Storm.  

All five of Phoenix's starters finished the afternoon with double figures in points, including double-doubles from Griner and Brianna Turner. 

After Jewell Loyd torched the Mercury for 37 points in the regular-season finale, Phoenix held the three-time WNBA All-Star to just 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Katie Lou Samuelson led the way for Seattle with 18 points. 

But the Storm were without reigning WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, who was averaging 20.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season, due to a foot injury. 

Seattle's Mercedes Russell came up with a dramatic block on Skylar Diggins-Smith's last-second drive to force overtime. But the Mercury pulled away thanks to six points from Diana Taurasi in the extra period.

The Mercury led by as many as 12 in the first half but were held to only nine points in the second quarter—they scored more in overtime (12) than in the entire second quarter.

Sue Bird moved into 18th on the WNBA all-time playoff scoring list with her 16 points as fans serenaded the Seattle legend with chants of "one more year" during her postgame interview. 

It's the second straight nail-biting win for the Mercury after an 83–82 win over the Liberty in the first elimination game. Phoenix will now go on to face either the top-seeded Sun or the Aces in the semifinals. 

More WNBA Coverage:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 80 Prospect Rankings

-
Image
Ranking the top 80 players in the 2021 NBA draft with the NCAA tournament in the rearview. View the original article to see embedded media. With three months until draft night and the NBA’s regular season winding down , the league at large has begun shifting full focus to the off-season. Players have until May 30 to declare as early entrants for the draft, after which point the predraft process will open up in full, leading up to the combine and lottery at the end of June . Our Big Board is long overdue for an update, and fully expanded out to 80 prospects as we all attempt to make sense of the big picture moving forward. As usual, the Big Board is primarily based on my personal evaluations from both live viewings and on film, in many cases dating back several years. The rankings also incorporate feedback and opinions I glean from NBA executives, scouts, and others around the industry. This is not a mock draft, and team fit is not considered, but it is also intended to be somewhat
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now

-
Image
In Mac Jones, Bill Belichick drafted a Round 1 quarterback for the first time ever—and looks to usher in a return to dominance. Of course the first time Bill Belichick drafts a first-round quarterback, it’s one for whom he could get an unvarnished scouting report from good buddy Nick Saban —and without even having to do any draft-day maneuvering. Now, the post-Tom Brady era in New England really begins. The Patriots treated 2020 as something of a gap year, with a league-high eight opt-outs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a starting quarterback, Cam Newton, who didn't sign with the team until June. They were, for the first time in two decades, mediocre, but that 7–9 record bought them the ticket to a fresh start: the No. 15 pick, which they used Thursday night on Alabama QB Mac Jones. The oft-cited statistic that Belichick had never drafted a QB higher than pick No. 62—used on Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014—was inherently flawed, given that Belichick had Brady as a starter for 19 of
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: NCAA Board of Governors Unanimously Votes to Extend Mark Emmert’s Contract

-
Despite recent controversy, the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to extend Mark Emmert's contract through 2025. The NCAA Board of Governors unanimously voted to extend president Mark Emmert's contract through Dec. 31, 2025. The news was announced Tuesday as a one-line news item buried within a larger update after the board's quarterly meeting. He's the fifth president in NCAA history and has been in the role since 2010. Emmert previously held high-ranking roles at Washington, LSU, Connecticut and Montana State. His base salary is reportedly $2.7 million.  Within the announcement, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to updating name, image and likeness rules. Dellenger: Inside the Hidden Industry of Name, Image and Likeness and the Changing World for College Athletes Emmert came under fire after disparities were shown between the men's and women's college basketball tournaments this year, specifically the weight room. Prior to the public backlash,
Read more