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Copper was one of three Mercury players to win
Olympic gold for Team USA, along with Brittney Griner and Diana
Taurasi. Griner finished with 23 points against the Sky,
including her fifth 3-pointer of the season -- a career high.
Taurasi played 30 minutes and had 11 points, sinking three
treys.
The Mercury never trailed as Griner, matched up against Sky
rookie Kamilla Cardoso, scored the first five points of the
contest and had 12 in the first half. The Sky missed their first
seven 3-point attempts and failed to establish a consistent
low-post game.
Phoenix led 30-12 after the first quarter and was up by 22
points at halftime.
The Mercury lead grew to as much as 28 points in the second
quarter after a 3-pointer by Natasha Cloud with 4:20 to play in
the half.
Phoenix was in front 69-52 after three quarters. The closest
Chicago game came in the fourth quarter was 16 points.
Rookie Angel Reese had a double-double for the Sky with 11
points and a game-high 15 rebounds. In the third quarter, she
set a Sky franchise mark for most offensive rebounds in a single
season, breaking the record set by Sylvia Fowles (117) in 2013.
Reese ended the night with 120 offensive boards on the season.
It was the first game for the Sky since trading Marina Mabrey to
the Connecticut Sun for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson and a
2025 first-round pick. It was a move designed to give the Sky
some 3-point shooting to complement the inside presence of Reese
and Cardoso. Banham and Jefferson combined for nine points in
the loss.
The Sky's leading scorer, Chennedy Carter, sat out due to a non-COVID
illness.
The two teams will meet again Sunday in Phoenix -- though each
side has another game before then.
--Field Level Media [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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