Kahleah Copper played like gold as the Phoenix Mercury resumed WNBA play with a dominating 85-65 win over the host Chicago Sky on Thursday.
Copper, a star during Team USA’s gold-medal run in Paris, scored a game-high 29 points, including 18 in the first half to lead the Mercury (14-12). The Sky (10-15) were led by Dana Evans with 14.
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
