The Phoenix Mercury and Toronto Tempo, two struggling stragglers in the WNBA standings, will have a chance to turn things around for a night — and savor it for longer than a fortnight — when they meet Saturday.
The host Mercury (13-26) and expansion Tempo (11-28) will play their final games before the league begins a 17-day break for the FIBA World Cup following the slate of Sunday games.
Phoenix has lost four in a row and seven of eight after an 80-73 home loss to Washington on Thursday, when the Mystics outscored the Mercury 27-16 in the fourth quarter.
Injury-ravaged Toronto again played without leading scorer Marina Mabrey in a 93-73 loss to the Aces in Las Vegas on Friday. They have lost 15 of 16 and will be playing the second game of a back-to-back.
“I’ve got to be proud of how we’ve stuck together regardless of the adversity we have faced,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said in Las Vegas.
The Mercury are a league-worst 5-14 at home. The Tempo are 4-15 on the road.
Phoenix leading scorer Kahleah Copper (21.3 points) is coming off a 35-point performance against the Mystics, when she scored the first 10 points of the game. Copper is one of the 12 players on the Team USA World Cup roster.
“As one of the leaders, I thought that (Copper) really set the tone in her effort,” said Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts, who will be an assistant coach for Team USA.
Copper had her sixth 30-point game, but she and facilitator Alyssa Thomas (14.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds) have had little support this season. Kelsey Plum, also on the Team USA roster, did not play Thursday because of a leg injury and is not expected to play Saturday.
“Just try to come out with a little extra energy,” Copper said of her approach. “Really want to treat it like it’s serious and not think about anything else outside of this game.”
The Mercury and Tempo have split the previous two meetings, each winning on the road.
The Tempo had five double-digit scorers in Las Vegas led by Isabelle Harrison, who had 15 points and seven rebounds. Laura Juskaite had 14 points and eight rebounds.
Rookie guard Kiki Rice (12.5 points) had 10 points and four assists against the Aces and has been a bright spot recently after missing nearly two months with a left ankle sprain in early June.
“It’s all about attacking downhill,” Rice said. “That’s what I do really well, so just get to the basket.”
Rice had a season-high 24 points against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday and tied a season high with three 3-pointers against Washington on Aug. 19.
“She’s the franchise player,” Brondello said after the Washington game.
–Field Level Media
