Alyssa Thomas achieved her 17th career triple-double, scoring 13 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and tying her career-high with 16 assists.
This performance helped the Phoenix Mercury secure an 81-72 victory over the Golden State Valkyries. Thomas clinched her sixth triple-double of the season with a rebound at 8:59 left in the game and assisted Monique Akoa Makani’s three-pointer, extending their lead to 71-56.
Monique Akoa Makani led Phoenix with 18 points, including four three-pointers. DeWanna Bonner also contributed significantly by making four of the team’s total 14 three-pointers and scoring 14 points. The Mercury were recovering from an earlier defeat against Las Vegas, where they scored their lowest of the season at 83-61. Meanwhile, Janelle Salaun topped Golden State’s scoresheet with 15 points.
Tiffany Hayes had a collision with Kahleah Copper during the third quarter and did not return to play. Veronica Burton added to Golden State’s efforts with 11 points and eight assists. Despite these efforts, Phoenix maintained control throughout the game.
Jessica Shepard recorded the second triple-double in Minnesota Lynx history as they defeated Indiana Fever 95-90. Shepard scored 22 points on near-perfect shooting, secured 11 rebounds, and provided 11 assists while playing all minutes of the game. Her triple-double was completed in just under 22 minutes, setting a new WNBA record for speed.
Kayla McBride played a crucial role by scoring 29 points and adding five assists for Minnesota. Natisha Hiedeman contributed off the bench with 17 points in just over half an hour of playtime. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with a strong performance of her own, scoring 27 points.
Storm’s Dominant Win Over Wings
The Seattle Storm dominated Dallas Wings with a decisive scoreline of 96-60. Rookie Dominique Malonga shone brightly by scoring 22 points and securing nine rebounds off the bench. Erica Wheeler added another dimension to Seattle’s attack by contributing an additional 17 points.
Tiffany Mitchell also made an impact from the bench with her contribution of eleven points for Seattle (19-18). Ezi Magbegor reached a milestone by grabbing her career’s fourth-most rebounds in franchise history at number one thousand two hundred.
Nneka Ogwumike achieved her two-hundredth career multi-steal game during this match, placing her fourth in league history behind notable players like Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird. Paige Bueckers initially led Dallas’ charge but ended up scoring only eleven points after starting strong with eight early ones.
Bueckers was coming off an impressive rookie record performance where she scored forty-four points on Wednesday while maintaining eighty percent shooting accuracy from field goals; however, Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention following their loss due to Kelsey Plum’s buzzer-beater shot sealing it at eighty-one to eighty against them earlier this week.