Sug Sutton earns 1st triple-double in Mercury history, Phoenix falls to Aces

PHOENIX (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 30 points, Chelsea Gray had 14 points and 12 assists and the first-place Las Vegas Aces coasted to a 94-73 win over the last-place Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.

Sug Sutton had the first triple-double in Mercury history, with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

In an otherwise dismal season for the Mercury, Sutton added a key milestone for the franchise along with 20-year veteran Diana Taurasi reaching the 10,000-point plateau. Sutton is the first player drafted after the first round to record a triple-double. The third-round pick, 36th overall, by the Mystics in 2020 played 12 games that season.

“What a special performance and a special opportunity for a special young lady – someone who hasn’t gotten a shot in the league,” Mercury head coach Nikki Blue told reporters postgame.

“She had a shot in Washington once, but jumped from team to team and has finally got her opportunity. We knew from training camp how special of a player Sug was. It’s taken all season for her to really start believing in herself and showing what she can do, and for her to come out and get a triple-double is extremely special.”

SUG SUTTON IS TOO TUFF 😤@sugsutton was on one as she dropped her first career triple-double of 18 PTS, 11 REB, and 11 AST also making it the first triple-double in @PhoenixMercury franchise history #MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/8tkXhxSjZk

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 9, 2023

The Aces (33-6) took a one-game lead over New York into the regular-season finale on Sunday, when they play the Mercury (9-30) at home. The Liberty close with Washington.

Kelsey Plum added 18 points and Jackie Young 17 points for the Aces, who shot 54%. Las Vegas set a WNBA record with its 14th win of at least 20 points, surpassing Connecticut’s 13 20-point wins in 2019.

Megan Gustafson scored 14 points, Moriah Jefferson had 11 points and Brittney Griner, on her bobblehead night, had 10 points but the Mercury shot just 35%.

Las Vegas had a 17-2 run in the second quarter to pull away from the short-handed Mercury, who were tied at 20-20 after one quarter. The Aces’ firepower made it 48-31 at the half.

Phoenix was short-handed in its home finale, missing guards Taurasi (toe), Sophie Cunningham (jaw) and Shey Peddy (concussion).

The Mercury’s season ends Sunday at Las Vegas.

“Last home game, our fans still showed up and showed out,” Sutton said. “That just shows the type of fans that we have – the type of people we have around Phoenix who have supported women’s basketball and supported us in general.

“We didn’t have a really good season, but there are still positives that came out of it. We still had really great fans. We still had that bond within the team. I think we grew a really great relationship with each other regardless of the year, regardless of our record. I am just taking in everything with this last home game.”

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