Phoenix Mercury drop must-win game against Connecticut Sun

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Phoenix Mercury drop must-win game against Connecticut Sun

Phoenix Mercury drop must-win game against Connecticut Sun

Jenna Ortiz, Arizona Republic · AZCentral | The Arizona Republic

Sat, Jul 18, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The Phoenix Mercury played a competitive game in the first 10 minutes against the Connecticut Sun , but after that, the team's defense fell apart.

The Mercury surrendered 25 points off turnovers in the 96-83 loss to the Sun on July 17, at Mortgage Matchup Center.

"We all feel like we're still playing for something, but we've been consistently inconsistent with our want-to and our effort," coach Nate Tibbetts said. "It's tough to dig a hole like that, and the turnovers in the first half just killed us. That hurt our defense and our approach."

The Mercury (8-18) have dropped the past five games and have allowed 23.2 points off their turnovers in that span.

Brittney Griner proved a significant threat in the paint against the Mercury, scoring six points in the Sun's opening 8-0 run. Griner played nearly 12 minutes in the first half and went 5-of-9 from the field with 11 points.

Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury and Brittney Griner #42 of the Connecticut Sun both jump for the ball during the first quarter at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 17, 2026 in Phoenix.
(Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

Nate Tibbetts, head coach of the Phoenix Mercury watches the game against the Connecticut Sun during the first quarter at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 17, 2026 in Phoenix.
(Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

Nate Tibbetts, head coach of the Phoenix Mercury yells out to players during the first quarter against the Connecticut Sun at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 17, 2026, in Phoenix.
(Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

Leila Lacan #47 of the Connecticut Sun blocks a basket attempted by DeWanna Bonner #24 during the second quarter at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 17, 2026, in Phoenix.
(Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

Alyssa Thomas #25 of the Phoenix Mercury runs down the court during the second quarter against the Connecticut Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 17, 2026, in Phoenix.
(Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

Valeriane Ayayi #11 of the Phoenix Mercury and Kahleah Copper #2 both attempt to block Olivia Nelson-Ododa #10 of the Connecticut Suns during the second quarter at Mortgage Matchup Center on July 17, 2026, in Phoenix.
(Aryanna Frank/Getty Images)

Connecticut Sun center Brittney Griner (42) controls the ball against Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (left) drives to the basket against Connecticut Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) reacts against the Connecticut Sun in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury forward Marta Suarez (77) drives to the basket against Connecticut Sun guard Saniya Rivers (22) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury forward Marta Suarez (77) shoots the ball against Connecticut Sun guard Leila Lacan (47) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury guard Lexi Held (10) controls the ball against Connecticut Sun guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (4) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) against the Connecticut Sun in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) shoots the ball against Connecticut Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa (10) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts against the Connecticut Sun in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) drives to the basket against Connecticut Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa (10) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) reacts against the Connecticut Sun in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (25) drives to the basket against Connecticut Sun guard Charlisse Leger-Walker (4) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on July 17, 2026.
(Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Hoping to put a cap on Griner's impact, the Mercury switched to zone in the second half. Griner went 0-of-3 after halftime, finishing with 12 points.

But it wasn't just Griner taking advantage of the Mercury's defense. The Sun collectively found ways to catch the Mercury flat-footed and often had open lanes to the rim. The Mercury's offense couldn't keep up, either, as the Sun were good at getting their hands on a lot of passes.

Leila Lacan was a benefactor of the Mercury's errors, using her speed to help the Sun score 19 fast-break points. Lacan missed only three of her 13 shot attempts, scoring a game-high of 26 points.

"She did whatever she wanted," Tibbetts said. "She kicked our butts. (She's) one of the good young players in the league and came in here and had a hell of a performance."

Kahleah Copper finished with 21 points for the Mercury, followed by Alyssa Thomas ' 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Copper got her sixth technical foul with 4:50 left in the third quarter. She is now two technicals away from a one-game suspension.

The Mercury's defense looked outmatched in the beginning of the game, trailing 11-5. But a 7-2 run showed that the Mercury could respond to adversity.

But the turnovers in the second quarter, including three consecutive from the Mercury, allowed the Sun to take control.

The Mercury's Lexi Held acknowledged that Connecticut is one of the better teams in terms of pressuring offenses, with the third-most steals per game in the WNBA, she placed a good deal of responsibility on her team.

"Just cumulatively, we need to make better reads and work on timing and be able to handle the pressure when teams are trying to make it harder on us," Held said.

The Mercury shot 50% from the field in the first quarter, but finished the game at 46.2% (30-of-65) and were 26.7% (4-of-15) from 3-point range. The Sun shot 52.2% (36-of-69) from the field.

"We have good moments and we for whatever reason, go away from it," Held said. "We're not as consistent as we need to be to stay in games or pull out wins. When things get hard, we get frustrated or we get stressed or whatever the case.

"It's an emotional game, but we got to be better at finding composure and fighting through those adversity moments."

The Mercury get a rematch against the Sun on Sunday, July 19, at Mortgage Matchup Center.

Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com , as well as @jennarortiz on X.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Mercury drop must-win game against Connecticut Sun

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