Natasha Mack, Phoenix Mercury

Sometimes, all you need is one victory to get back on track.

The Phoenix Mercury are hoping that’s the case after snapping a six-game losing streak on Wednesday night, defeating the Seattle Storm with a clutch performance.

It required buckling down in the fourth quarter and saving their best stretch of defense for winning time. Holding Seattle to just 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting in the fourth, Phoenix stayed together, answered runs and got back in the win column to begin this road trip.

“The fact we were on the same page and we were all connected,” Monique Akoa Makani said. “It didn’t matter who was making a mistake or not. The energy we had out there was just hiding those mistakes.”

For the Mercury, it was about starting the game hungry and finishing it even hungrier. In the first and fourth quarters combined, Phoenix outscored Seattle 41-28. That made up for any lulls they had throughout the night.

You could sense the urgency from Phoenix right out of the gate, creating an 11-0 run after Seattle scored the first bucket. The ball was moving well in the opening minutes as the Mercury assisted on six of their first eight makes.

The next step will be putting together a full 40-minute game without key lapses in the second and third quarters, which ultimately prevented Phoenix from maintaining a double-digit lead in this one.

Natasha Mack was the MVP of the night, demonstrating her two-way impact every minute she was on the floor. She finished with a career-high 16 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking three shots. She notched her third double-double of the season after only having one heading into this year.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough – Mack’s scoring was the result of a perfect 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 at the foul line. She became the first player in WNBA history with 15+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 3+ blocks on 100% shooting.

Phoenix Mercury

Mack was everywhere for the Mercury, with her activity causing a lot of issues any time Seattle attacked the paint. She understood the assignment – getting more stops allows the team to generate easier opportunities in transition.

Her dominance – along with her teammates forcing turnovers – is what allowed Phoenix to fight through a poor shooting night.

The Mercury shot only 3-of-22 from deep (13.6%), but still prevailed on the road. Over the last 10 years of Mercury history, they were 1-16 when making three or fewer 3-pointers in a game. The odds weren’t in their favor tonight, which is why defense must be their safety net during the season. When things aren’t going your way and adversity hits, all that matters is finding different avenues to win.

The box score won’t necessarily show it, but DeWanna Bonner was one of the heroes in Wednesday’s victory. She had a strong fourth quarter, playing the entire 10 minutes and coming up with huge momentum-swinging plays.

Bonner got rolling with a mid-range jumper after faking her defender on the perimeter. She followed it with a smart defensive play on the other end, stealing a pass and taking it the other way for an uncontested layup. On the next possession, she drew a shooting foul with a nice drive to the paint.

It all transpired within 40 seconds of gametime, helping the Mercury extend the lead from two to seven.

“DB was huge in the fourth,” head coach Nate Tibbetts said. “Extremely proud of our group and proud of DB for helping will us to that win. She hasn’t shot it as well as she’s wanted. We haven’t shot it well as a team. But to still come out with that win is a credit to our defense.”

The Mercury know this is only step one. Now it’s about building momentum on the road.

“It’s something we needed,” Akoa Makani said after the win. “I hope it’s the beginning of something. We can definitely use that to keep improving ourselves, go on this road trip and try to get some more.”

Erasing a losing streak is always a good feeling. But every game matters throughout a season, including those difficult times. As Tibbetts says, it forced them to correct a few things and get sharper as a unit.

“It wasn’t a lot of fun, but it’s going to make us stronger,” Tibbetts said. “We’re going to continue to get better because of it. I didn’t think we were great here tonight. But when you’re searching for one, you’ll take it however you can get it. There are some areas we can learn from tonight, but just a very gutty win to start a road trip.”

By the Numbers

DeWanna Bonner moved into 5th all-time on the WNBA’s leaderboard for field goals made. With 2,631 career buckets, Bonner surpasses Hall-of-Famer Tina Thompson, who played from 1997 to 2013.

Kahleah Copper moved into 9th in franchise history in both points (1,420) and 3-pointers made (140).

With a heavy focus on defending without fouling, Phoenix held Seattle to just 5 free throw attempts. It was just the 18th time in franchise history the Mercury have held an opponent to 5 or fewer attempts. They are 14-4 in those games.

Five different Mercury players finished with 2 steals, giving them 11 total as a team.

Up Next for Phoenix

The Mercury stay in the Pacific Northwest, visiting the Portland Fire on Friday night. It will be the first time Phoenix has played the Fire since they rejoined the WNBA as an expansion team this year.

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