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Phoenix Mercury Shut ⁢Down New York Liberty, 82-69

PHOENIX – The Phoenix mercury stifled the New York Liberty with a dominant defensive performance, securing an 82-69 victory on August 30, 2025.⁢ The win‍ was fueled by a strong​ second-half surge and ⁣a rebounding advantage led by center ⁣Natasha Mack.

The‍ Liberty were⁤ forced to adjust their lineup early after Marine Johannescu was⁤ ruled ⁣out with a left toe injury.Phoenix countered with its⁤ own size advantage, featuring 6-foot-4⁣ Brittney Stewart, 6-foot-4 Emma Meesseman, and‍ 6-foot-6 Tina Charles.Initially, the Liberty’s ​bigger lineup proved effective,⁣ grabbing 14 defensive rebounds and outscoring the Mercury ‍in ‍the paint by six‍ points. ⁢However, the Mercury responded after halftime, capitalizing ⁣on turnovers and increased defensive pressure. Mack was pivotal in the turnaround,⁢ contributing 10 rebounds, eight points, and four blocks. The Mercury scored 18 points off the Liberty’s eight second-half turnovers, while ‍Mack alone secured two more‌ offensive rebounds than the​ entire ⁤Liberty team.

“I’m super excited for her and her‌ conditioning. She just impacts winning with her effort ‍on the glass,” Mercury head coach Nikki Tibbetts said of Mack.”She flies around, her teammates love her, you want good things to happen⁢ to⁣ good people, and she’s ​stayed with it and is figuring out how to play next to AT, which is⁤ awesome. Her activity ‍on ⁣the ‍glass was big time.”

The​ Mercury also limited the Liberty’s opportunities at the free throw line, holding them to ‍just 11 attempts after New York had averaged 24 in their previous three games.

Phoenix⁢ utilized an eight-player rotation,with⁣ DeWanna bonner,Kathryn Westbeld,and Sami Whitcomb coming off the bench. Westbeld provided a crucial spark in⁤ the fourth quarter,hitting a key ⁤3-pointer to maintain the Mercury’s momentum.

“For her to come in ⁢with that⁢ kind ‍of confidence and take that⁤ shot, we believed in Kat,” Bonner said. ​”She‌ was doing this before I got hear in the​ beginning of the‍ season, and she’s continuing to hit big buckets ⁤and battle with (centers).⁤ You put her on a 5-player and she does a‍ great job down there.Shout out to Kat, and it’s not easy coming off the bench and being ready, but⁤ she did a⁤ great job ⁣tonight.”

The Mercury (record‍ unavailable) will conclude their homestand against ⁣the Indiana Fever on ‍September 2 at 7 p.m. MST. The Fever are currently battling for a playoff‌ spot despite facing injury challenges within their guard rotation.