– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEW YORK — Satou Sabally, fresh off redeeming herself for her dismal shooting display in the first game of these 2025 WNBA Playoffs, came into the press conference room with a white, cut-off Rolling Stones shirt, owning the room as if New York Fashion Week had staged an extra show inside of the Barclays Center. However, when asked if she’s familiar with the legendary rock group, Sabally gleefully admitted her ignorance to their music, asserting that it was the fashion statement that the shirt made, the oversized tongue-out-and-protruding-lips all over the top, that won her over.
That’s cool, Satou. Well, let’s start to break down the dominating performance from her and the Mercury against the defending WNBA champions, Stones style.
Start Me Up!
What was a competitive game in the early moments of the Mercury’s elimination game became a laugher, as Phoenix shut off the Liberty on offense on their way to an 86-60 win to tie the first-round series at a game apiece and force the series back to the desert for a winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday night. Five players scored in double figures for the Mercury, with Sabally, on the heels of a 2-for-17 shooting performance in Phoenix’s overtime defeat in Game 1, tying for the team lead with 15 points while also posting seven rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Jumping Jack Flash(es).
Phoenix dominated the final three quarters of the game, mainly due to the Mercury dominating in transition, outscoring New York 20-2 in fast-break points and making the Liberty look one step slow all game — and that’s without the reigning champion’s leading scorer, Breanna Stewart, hobbled with a knee injury that she suffered in Game 1 and played through tonight. Those transition points were a big chunk of the 38 points the Mercury scored in the paint, a statistic in which Phoenix outscored the Liberty by 16 points.
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
The Mercury led most of Game 1 before scoring just 12 points combined in the final 15 minutes (fourth quarter plus overtime), but tonight’s game saw Phoenix turn the defensive trick on the Liberty. After New York scored 25 points and made 10-of-19 from the field in the frame, the Mercury forced the Liberty to miss 24 of their next 27 shots. The defensive vise tightened the most in the third quarter, soon after New York closed a 20-point deficit to 14, 51-37, at halftime. Phoenix held the Liberty without a point for the first five minutes of the quarter, and without field goal for the first 8:25. By that time, the Mercury’s lead was 22 points, and it did not drop below 20 for the rest of the contest and grew to as much as 31 points.
You Can’t Get Always Get What You Want …
… but, as the song goes, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need, and after the Mercury’s letdown on Sunday, the wake-up call from that was loud and clear as they had one of their most complete efforts of the season in a campaign that has been full of exceeding expectations.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Wednesday evening’s game, with photos taken by staff photographer Chris Gonzalez. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 26 pictures in total.
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