The Mercury’s Sami Whitcomb holds up three fingers on each hand after a successful 3-pointer against the New York Liberty during the second quarter at PHX Arena on June 27, 2025. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

PHOENIX – Despite splitting two games at home this past weekend, the Phoenix Mercury are now the sole owners of the second-best record in the WNBA heading into Thursday’s matchup against Dallas.

The Mercury made history Friday, becoming the first team to knock down 17 or more 3-pointers in back-to-back games.

However, the Mercury were unable to secure the victory on Sunday against Las Vegas, after missing a pair of 3s late in the fourth quarter.

The Mercury capped their historic shooting performance against New York by going 18 for 39 from beyond the arc, setting a new franchise record en route to their 106-91 win. They also tied a franchise record with 30 assists.

“When you start making shots, teams have to close out,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “We talked about it as a staff about 10 games in. We weren’t shooting it as well as we thought we were going to. We felt like we had better shooters than that. We’re confident in our shooting and we want them to take as many as they can.”

This game marked the 10th time this season the Mercury have buried nine or more 3-pointers in a game. This hot streak is headlined by Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb, who has made four or more 3-pointers in her last five games.

Over that stretch, Whitcomb is shooting 51% from deep and averaging 16 points per game. Whitcomb, who started the season slowly from 3-point range, knew that the tide was going to turn in her favor eventually.

“I’ve played basketball for a long time,” Whitcomb said. “You make shots, you miss shots. You can’t always control it. But I’m going to prepare the same way and take the open shots. It was nice that everyone was encouraging me to shoot.”

Mercury forward Satou Sabally noted how many shots she takes over the span of five weeks and how the practice gives her confidence.

“I take like over 10,000 shots,” Whitcomb said. “So, I wasn’t really worried about it.”

Sabally, Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper combined for 54 points, 19 rebounds and 19 assists Thomas had a near triple-double, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists.

While the Mercury were breaking records on offense, they were equally as impressive on defense. The Mercury held the Liberty’s high-scoring duo of Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to 26 points.

Ionescu struggled from the field, scoring nine points on 2-for-9 shooting.

“I thought we really competed (well) against Sabrina,” Tibbetts said. “ I didn’t think our defense was as good as it’s been. We’ve kind of hung our hat on the defensive end. It’s extremely important.”

The Mercury looked to keep the momentum flowing Sunday against Las Vegas, but fell just short at the buzzer, losing 84-81.

Reigning league Most Valuable Player A’ja Wilson led the way for the Aces. She finished with 26 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and a steal in the win.

“Great players are going to have big nights,” Tibbetts said. “She’s one of the best in our league. Obviously, the free throws helped get her going. We needed to do a better job collectively against her.”

After a historically great shooting night on Friday, the Mercury struggled against the Aces, shooting 27 for 71 from the floor and 10 for 24 from 3-point range. Thomas led the way for the Mercury with 16 points. She was one of four Mercury players to score in double figures.

“They were guarding the three well and we missed a lot of opportunities to get to the basket,” Thomas said. “You want games like this. This is what the playoffs are going to be like. So definitely a learning lesson for us today.”

The Mercury will have a chance to rest before their game against Dallas. The Mercury beat the Wings in Phoenix in their last meeting, 93-80. After their quick visit to the Lone Star State, they’ll kick off a two-game homestand against the Wings and the Minnesota Lynx, starting on July 7.

“We’ll watch the film and try to make corrections,” Tibbetts said. “Every team presents new challenges. We’ll get a couple more days of practice and continue to try and get better.”

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