Mercury unable to overcome rough 2nd quarter in loss vs. Sun

Kahleah Copper's 21 points were not enough as the Mercury dropped their fifth straight game on Friday.

Jul 17, 2026, 9:52 PM Updated: Jul 18, 2026, 12:19 pm

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Leila Lacan scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 96-83 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night in the first of back-to-back meetings between the teams.

Kahleah Copper had 21 points to lead the Mercury (8-18), who have lost five straight. Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists; Valeriane Ayayi scored 13 points and DeWanna Bonner grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points.

The Mercury were scoreless for nearly four minutes, went without a made field goal for almost five and committed eight of their 13 turnovers in the second quarter.

Kennedy Burke had 13 points, Brittney Griner and Aaliyah Edwards scored 12 apiece and Diamond Miller added 11 for the Sun.

Griner, who spent her first 11 WNBA seasons with the Mercury, played just her second game in Phoenix since she and the franchise parted ways following the 2024 season.

The Sun (7-18) have won consecutive games for just the second time this season and are 5-3 in their last eight.

Lacan hit a 3-pointer, converted a three-point play and then made a layup that capped an 11-0 run and gave Connecticut a 19-point lead with 4:10 remaining in the second quarter.

Saniya Rivers returned from a two-game absence due to a left ankle sprain and had six points in 14 minutes off the bench for the Sun.

Monique Akoa Makani took an incidental elbow from Griner to the face in the opening seconds and went to the locker room briefly. The second-year guard finished scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting.

Aneesah Morrow (reconditioning) missed her fifth consecutive game.

The Mercury and Sun will face off again in Phoenix on Sunday. Tip-off from Mortgage Matchup Center is at 4 p.m.