Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury player stats and box score (Sep. 26)

The Phoenix Mercury stunned the Minnesota Lynx 84-76 on Friday in Game 3 at PHX Arena, taking a 2-1 series lead and sitting just one win away from advancing to the Finals.

The tightly contested matchup saw the Mercury pull away with a 21-9 fourth quarter, highlighted by key defensive stops in the final minutes that stifled the Lynx, who had held a four-point lead entering the final period.

Phoenix’s big three made their presence felt: Satou Sabally scored 23 points, Alyssa Thomas contributed 21 points with nine rebounds and eight assists, and Kahleah Copper added 21 points.

For Minnesota, only Napheesa Collier found consistent success, posting 17 points and six rebounds. Courtney Williams had 14 points on 37.5% shooting, Kayla McBride scored 12 points on 30% shooting and Bridget Carleton managed six points on 28.6%.

Natisha Hiedeman shined off the bench with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, helping Minnesota achieve a 27-11 bench points advantage.

Phoenix dominated the paint, outscoring Minnesota 42-28, even with co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith logging fewer than 12 minutes and missing all four of her shots.

The Mercury have a chance to close out the series at home on Sunday.

A major concern for the Lynx is the status of Napheesa Collier, who collided knees with Alyssa Thomas with 21 seconds left and severely tweaked her ankle. She exited the court in tears, limping and assisted by Lynx staff.

Below is the box score and game breakdown.

Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury box score

Minnesota Lynx player stats

Player	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	TOV	STL	BLK	PF	=+/-
Bridget Carleton SF	27:22	6	4	0	2	7	28.6	1	3	33.3	1	1	100	0	4	2	0	0	1	-5
Napheesa Collier PF	36:56	17	6	3	8	15	53.3	1	3	33.3	0	0	-	2	4	4	0	3	5	-10
Alanna Smith C	11:54	0	1	1	0	4	0.0	0	3	0.0	0	0	-	1	0	0	0	0	1	-8
Kayla McBride SG	38:21	12	4	5	3	10	30.0	2	6	33.3	4	4	100	1	3	1	2	0	1	-8
Courtney Williams PG	37:26	14	5	3	6	16	37.5	2	5	40.0	0	0	-	1	4	1	2	0	3	-9
Jessica Shepard	07:36	0	1	2	0	1	0.0	0	0	-	0	0	-	1	0	1	1	0	0	3
Natisha Hiedeman	22:54	19	2	3	7	12	58.3	0	4	0.0	5	6	83.3	1	1	2	2	0	1	-3
Maria Kliundikova	17:30	8	6	1	4	6	66.7	0	0	-	0	0	-	3	3	0	0	3	2	0
DiJonai Carrington	0:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anastasiia Olairi Kosu	0:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jaylyn Sherrod	00:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Camryn Taylor	00:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Phoenix Mercury player stats

Player	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	TOV	STL	BLK	PF	=+/-
Satou Sabally SF	30:22	23	4	0	5	11	45.5	2	4	50.0	11	11	100	2	2	3	0	0	3	12
Alyssa Thomas PF	36:25	21	9	8	9	18	50.0	0	0	-	3	4	75.0	3	6	4	5	2	3	12
Natasha Mack C	12:00	0	5	0	0	1	0.0	0	0	-	0	0	-	1	4	1	0	2	0	1
Kahleah Copper SG	36:15	21	3	2	9	13	69.2	1	3	33.3	2	3	66.7	0	3	3	0	0	4	8
Monique Akoa Makani PG	23:20	8	5	2	3	7	42.9	2	4	50.0	0	0	-	3	2	1	0	0	3	-1
DeWanna Bonner	22:28	4	8	2	1	7	14.3	0	4	0.0	2	2	100	2	6	0	1	1	0	9
Kathryn Westbeld	15:13	3	2	1	1	1	100	1	1	100	0	0	-	1	1	0	1	0	0	-7
Sami Whitcomb	23:57	4	1	4	2	7	28.6	0	2	0.0	0	2	0.0	0	1	3	2	0	2	6
Kalani Brown	00:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Lexi Held	00:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kitija Laksa	00:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kiana Williams	00:00	0	0	0	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury: Game recap

The game started with a back-and-forth battle, and Monique Akoa Makani gave Phoenix a 15-12 lead with a layup.

The Lynx responded with a 10-4 run, taking a 22-19 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Courtney Williams contributed seven points, while Bridget Carleton and Napheesa Collier combined for 18 points.

In the second quarter, Kahleah Copper erupted offensively, pouring in 13 points to help the Mercury outscore the Lynx 29-22, taking a 48-44 lead at halftime. Copper had totaled 17 points by the break to lead all scorers, as the Mercury asserted their dominance inside with 26 points in the paint.

In the third quarter, with the game tied 57-all and 2:37 remaining, Minnesota went on a 10-6 run, fueled by Hiedeman scoring six points, to take a 67-63 lead into the fourth.

Early in the fourth quarter, after Maria Kliundikova’s layup gave Minnesota a 76-75 advantage, Phoenix responded with a furious rally: Sabally hit a 3-pointer and four free throws, Thomas stole the ball from Collier and finished with a layup and the Mercury closed out the game with a 9-0 run to secure the victory.