PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury dropped Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, 97-86, ending their championship run with a sweep at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces on Friday at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Mercury cut a once 20-point deficit to six points during the fourth quarter in a second straight comeback attempt, but the Aces maintained a multiple-possession lead to the finish line.
The Aces won their third championship in four seasons, building a dynasty under head coach Becky Hammon and the game’s best player, A’ja Wilson.
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Kahleah Copper led the comeback with a monster 30-point performance, as she was electric off the dribble to get to the basket. She fouled out with 90 seconds remaining and was issued a technical foul on her way out, a crushing blow with the Mercury down eight.
Phoenix already had to play Friday’s game without All-Star Satou Sabally due to a concussion, while head coach Nate Tibbetts received an ejection in the third quarter for getting into it with officials.
Fellow All-Star Alyssa Thomas went to the locker room at the end of the first half with trainers supporting her right shoulder, but she came back out to play the entire second half.
Thomas fittingly finished her All-WNBA First Team campaign with a triple-double, producing 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Wilson paced the Aces with 31 points, including 17 free throws. The Aces finished the game with 29 free throws on 35 attempts.
Las Vegas took a commanding lead with a 15-4 run between the end of the first quarter and start to the second, and it shot 9-for-17 from deep in the opening half.
The Mercury allowed only 14 points in the fourth quarter to chip away.
The Mercury entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the WNBA after remaking their roster with Diana Taurasi retiring and Brittney Griner leaving in free agency. Thomas and Sabally were the franchise’s marquee additions, joining Copper to build a strong core.
They took out the defending champion New York Liberty in the opening round, 2-1. That set up a matchup with the top overall seed and 2024 runner up, the Minnesota Lynx.
Phoenix upset Minnesota in four games to reach the WNBA Finals for the second time in five years (2021).
The Mercury had their chances over the first three games of the series, particularly in Games 1 and 3. Phoenix led Game 1 by as many as nine points, Thomas missed a pair of clutch free throws in the final 24 seconds and Sabally’s potential game-tying triple at the horn missed.
Phoenix came back from down 17 points to tie Game 3 in the fourth quarter, but Wilson hit the game-winning shot with less than a second remaining.
There were moments when it looked like Friday’s game would really get away, especially in the first half and after Tibbetts was ejected, but the Mercury showed resilience to continue competing.
Now begins a key offseason for the WNBA with a new collective bargaining agreement to be negotiated and two new teams joining the league (Toronto and Portland).
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