Satou Sabally scored 20 points, Kitija Laksa added 18 and Alyssa Thomas posted a double-double of 10 points and 15 assists to lift the host Phoenix Mercury to a 94-89 win against the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.
Phoenix (4-1) trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half but recovered behind a resilient effort from beyond the 3-point line.
After shooting just 4-for-22 from deep in the first half, the Mercury connected on 12-of-18 long-range attempts after the break.
Monique Akoa Makani (13 points), Lexi Held, Kathryn Westbeld and Laksa paced Phoenix with three treys apiece.
Chicago struggled to find an offensive rhythm down the stretch to remain winless at 0-4.
Chicago’s Ariel Atkins led all scorers with 21 points while Courtney Vandersloot (15 points, 11 assists) and Angel Reese (13 points, 15 rebounds) both notched double-doubles.
Kamilla Cardoso had 16 points and nine boards while Kia Nurse chipped in 14 points.
The Mercury went ahead for good on an Akoa Makani trey with 6:25 remaining that gave the hosts a 77-75 advantage.
Clicking behind a 14-4 run to start the third quarter, the Sky took a 58-42 lead at the 6:46 mark of the third for their largest advantage of the game.
Vandersloot capped the surge with a driving reverse layup. Nurse hit a pair of treys during the run while Atkins contributed five points.
Phoenix wasn’t fazed, however, rallying to trail by only four points entering the fourth.
A 5-for-7 showing from deep in the third quarter sparked the Mercury’s climb.
Westbeld chipped in 13 points for the Mercury, who were minus-12 on the glass.
Shooting slumps late in each of the first two quarters frustrated Phoenix. The Mercury missed their last seven shots of the first quarter and couldn’t capitalize on various opportunities just before halftime.
Chicago took a 44-38 lead into halftime, overcoming 10 turnovers by shooting 48.5 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes while limiting Phoenix to a 31.1 percent effort.
Atkins led the Sky with 14 first-half points while Sabally scored nine to pace the Mercury.
Phoenix has won each of its four home games to open the season.
–Field Level Media
