PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury had one goal heading into Game 3 of the WNBA playoff semifinal series against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday.
“We talked about guarding the yard,” Mercury guard Kahleah Copper said.
The No. 4 seed Mercury protected home court and defeated the No. 1 seed Lynx 84-76 on Friday, improving to 2-1 in the best-of-five semifinal series. The Mercury now have the chance to close out the Lynx at home in Game 4 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and return to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.
Phoenix’s Big 3 of Satou Sabally (23 points), Kahleah Copper (21 points) and Alyssa Thomas (21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists) and combined for 65 of the Mercury’s 84 points.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected after getting her second technical foul. Thomas stole the ball from Napheesa Collier in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter and went in for a layup. The players knocked knees and Collier got hurt on the play, rolling her ankle. She had to be helped to the locker room.
‘When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt, there’s fights and this is the look that our league wants for some reason,’ Reeve said after the game. ‘We were trying to play through it. We try not to make excuses.
‘One of the best players in the league (Collier) shot zero free throws. Zero. And she had five fouls. Zero free throws. She got her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out. And probably has a fracture.’
Reeve finished her postgame remarks by asking for officiating changes and dropping a pair of f-bombs.
The Lynx will have to regroup if they want to stave off elimination.
“Stay locked. We not out of it. We’re still here. We’re still a great team,’ Lynx guard Courtney Williams said. ‘When it comes to the playoffs or any game, you can’t get too high or get too low.’
Natisha Hiedeman had 19 points off the bench to lead the Lynx. Collier added 17 points and Williams 14.
How many fouls do you get in the WNBA?
Each player is allowed five fouls per game and is disqualified on their sixth foul. Napheesa Collier currently has four fouls for the Lynx.
Napheesa Collier in foul trouble
Minnesota’s Collier was called for a transition take foul on Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas with 8:16 remaining in the game, Collier’s fourth personal foul. Collier previously fouled Kahleah Copper on the 3-point line with 9:35 remaining, giving Copper three free throw attempts. She remained in the game after both fouls. the Mercury have attempted 18 free throws. The Lynx have attempted eight.
End of Q3: Lynx 67, Mercury 63
Back and forth we go. Minnesota outscored Phoenix 23-15 in the third quarter and have a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter after eight lead changes and six ties.
Natisha Hiedeman has been explosive off the bench for the Lynx, with a team-high 19 points, three assists and two rebounds in 17 minutes. (She’s plus-12 for the game, the highest among all players.) Napheesa Collier has 17 points and five rebounds, but appears to be bothered by the physicality so far. Courtney Williams added 14 points.
Kahleah Copper (19 points) and Alyssa Thomas (17 points, six assists and five rebounds) have combined for 36 of the Mercury’s 63 points. Monique Akoa Makani added eight points and four rebounds.
“We got to guard. We talked about guarding the yard,” Copper said. “We have to take pride in our one-on-one defense and really. Lock in on tendencies.”
Kahleah Copper called for technical for taunting
Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper have been chirping at each other all game. After Williams nailed a 3-pointer with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter to bring the Lynx within one point of the Mercury, Williams flashed three fingers toward Copper, who clapped in response. Copper stole the ball from the Lynx with 4:38 remaining and finished with a layup to go up by three. Copper let Williams hear it. Well, the referee also heard and charged her with a technical foul. Copper has a game-high 19 points, Williams has 12.
Halftime: Mercury 48, Lynx 44
The Mercury outscored the Lynx 29-22 in the second quarter to take a four-point lead into halftime. The Mercury are 2-1 this postseason when tied or leading at halftime.
Mercury guard Kahleah Copper scored 13 of her 17 points in the second quarter. Alyssa Thomas added 11 points, five assists and two rebounds. Phoenix’s league-leading bench has contributed 11 points and the team is collectively shooting 3-of-10 from the 3-point line. (The Mercury shot 40.6% from 3 in their Game 2 comeback win over the Lynx.)
The Mercury are outscoring the Lynx 26-14 in the paint and have a slight 18-15 rebound advantage, including seven offensive rebounds for Phoenix, compared to five for Minnesota.
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has 13 points and three rebounds. Courtney Williams was held scoreless in the second quarter and remains at seven points, while Kayla McBride is still looking to find her rhythm. McBride opened the game 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from the 3-point line, before knocking down her first 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining in the first half.
Natisha Hiedeman added eleven points, two assists and two rebounds in ten impactful minutes off the bench.
What time is Mercury vs. Lynx Game 3?
Game 3 of the WNBA semifinal series between the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx and No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury is scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET at PHX Arena in Phoenix .
How to watch Mercury vs. Lynx WNBA playoffs: TV, stream for Game 3
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: PHX Arena (Phoenix)
- TV: ESPN2
- Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited
Stream Lynx-Mercury series on Fubo (free trial)
Cheryl Reeve called for a technical foul
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was fired up after a foul wasn’t called on Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, who was physical in the paint with Napheesa Collier with 5:26 remaining in the second quarter. As the Lynx’s possession ended with a shot clock turnover, Reeve charged the referee on the floor in frustration and was subsequently called for a technical after imitating the hip motion of Thomas and yelling at the official.
End of Q1: Lynx 22, Mercury 19
The Lynx have a three-point lead heading into the second quarter. Each team led by as many as five points in the back-and-fourth first stanza, which featured four lead changes and one tie. The Lynx have momentum after closing the first quarter on a 10-4 run.
Lynx guard Courtney Williams has a game-high seven points, followed by six points from Bridget Carleton and five points for Naphessa Collier. Natisha Hiedeman added four points, one rebound and one assist in three minutes off the bench. The Lynx are shooting 47.4% from the field and 3-of-8 from 3.
Mercury rookie guard Monique Akoa Makani leads Phoenix with five points, while Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas each added four points. The Mercury are shooting 41.2% from the field and 1-of-6 from the 3-point line, with the sole 3-pointer coming from Makani to get Phoenix on the board.
Courtney Williams hot early
Game 3 is underway at PHX Arena.
Courtney Williams has scored seven of Minnesota’s 15 points to start, shooting a perfect 3-of-3 including 1-of-1 from the 3-point line. Bridget Carleton added six points
Four of Phoenix’s five starters have scored, led by five points from rookie Monique Akoa Makani. Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas each added four points.
It’s all tied up 15 all with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter.
Minnesota Lynx starting lineup
Head coach: Cheryl Reeve
- 6 Bridget Carleton | F 6′ 2′ – Iowa State
- 8 Alanna Smith | F 6′ 4′ – Stanford
- 10 Courtney Williams | G 5′ 8′ – South Florida
- 21 Kayla McBride | G 5′ 11′ – Notre Dame
- 24 Napheesa Collier | F 6′ 1′ – UConn
Minnesota Lynx injury report
Lynx guard Dijonai Carrington (left foot) has been ruled out the remainder of the postseason with a significant mid-foot sprain suffered in the Lynx’s Game 1 win against the Golden State Valkyries on September 17.
Phoenix Mercury starting lineup
Head coach: Nate Tibbetts
- 0 Satou Sabally | F 6′ 4′ – Oregon
- 2 Kahleah Copper | G 6′ 1′ – Rutgers
- 4 Natasha Mack | C 6′ 4′ – Oklahoma State
- 8 Monique Akoa Makani | G 5′ 11′ – Cameroon
- 25 Alyssa Thomas | F 6′ 2′ – Maryland
Phoenix Mercury injury report
The Mercury have all players available for Game 3.
WNBA playoffs 2025: Lynx vs. Mercury scores, results and schedule
Best-of-five WNBA semifinal series tied, 1-1
- Game 1: Lynx 82, Mercury 69
- Game 2: Mercury 89, Lynx 83 OT
- Game 3: Lynx at Mercury, 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday (ESPN2)
- Game 4: Lynx at Mercury, 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday (ESPN)
- Game 5: Mercury at Lynx, TBD on Sept. 30*
Phoenix Mercury vs. the Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers has a concert scheduled for Sunday night at PHX Arena. They moved it to Monday to accommodate Game 4. Mercury players weighed in on their favorite Jonas Brothers’ songs.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. courtside at for WNBA semifinals
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows something about winning titles. He had an undefeated record and won 15 major world championships.
Minnesota Lynx arrivals
Lynx are fighting through the bad weather to get to the arena.
Phoenix Mercury arrivals
Satou Sabally is all business in her suit.
Kathryn Westbeld in the house. The boots!
Can the Minnesota Lynx channel 2017 magic for another title?
The Minnesota Lynx have a chip on their shoulder. After losing the 2024 WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty in a winner-take-all Game 5 that went to overtime, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve emphatically called out “disappointing officiating,” saying the championship was “stolen from us.”
The heartbreaking loss lingers 10 months later, as the league-leading Lynx are in position to make another deep playoff run. “You feel that loss for a long time,” Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman told USA TODAY Sports. It has been the driving force behind the Lynx’s record-breaking season with the same goal: Winning a championship.
Read Cydney Henderson’s full story on the Lynx’s redemption season here.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.