WNBA playoffs: Mercury storm back from 20-point deficit, stun Lynx in OT to tie semifinals at 1-1

The Minnesota Lynx needed a second-half rally Sunday to secure a win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

On Tuesday, it was the Mercury’s turn to mount a comeback. They delivered in dramatic fashion with a 20-point second-half rally before securing an 89-83 win in overtime.

The Mercury looked cooked while trailing 59-39 midway through the third quarter. A 12-0 run cut their deficit to eight points before the quarter was done. They then closed the fourth with a 25-17 run that Sami Whitcomb capped with a game-tying 3 with 3.4 seconds remaining.

Whitcomb had two looks at the game-tying bucket. She missed the first from near the top of the key with a hand in her face. But she got a second look from the right wing off an Alyssa Thomas rebound. This time she was pure to tie the game at 79-79.

Napheesa Collier’s game-winning attempt on the other end missed the mark, and the game went into overtime.

There, the Mercury scored the first bucket of the extra session to take their first lead since 15-14 in the first quarter. They didn’t relinquish the lead again and held on to stun the Minnesota home crowd with a historic victory.

The series now shifts to Phoenix for Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five series.

It looked like a near certainty that the Lynx would hit the road needing a single win to secure their second straight trip to the WNBA Finals. Instead Phoenix stole home-court advantage and faces a chance to close out the series on its home court.

How Mercury mounted historic comeback

The rally from 20 points down represented the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history. Phoenix outscored Minnesota 50-24 over the final 20:35 of the game. They did it with their bench, the 3-point shot and big games from All-Stars Thomas and Satou Sabally.

Phoenix struggled from the field (37.5%) early as Minnesota repeatedly turned missed shots into easy buckets en route to a 48-32 halftime advantage that it ran up to 20 points with 5:45 remaining in the third.

But Sabally started the Mercury run in the third quarter with one of her five 3s. She then secured the first tie of the second half at 70-70 with an and-1 layup and made the free throw with 3:32 remaining in regulation. She finished tied for a game-high 24 points and nine rebounds while shooting 5 of 11 from 3.

Thomas added 19 points, a game-high 13 assists and eight rebounds, one of which set up Whitcomb’s 3 that forced overtime. Whitcomb posted 13 points off the bench while shooting 3 of 9 from 3.

Whitcomb led a bench effort that helped spark the rally as Mercury reserves outscored their Lynx counterparts, 25-3. Jessica Shepard was the only non-starter to score for Minnesota.

And the Mercury finished the night shooting 13 of 32 (40.6%) from 3 after shooting 4 of 11 in the first half. Minnesota countered with a 7-of-28 (25%) effort from 3.

Collier led a top-heavy Minnesota scoring effort with 24 points, six rebounds and three steals. But it’s her missed jumper at the end of regulation that will stand out from this game. Kayla McBride added 21 points (4 of 8 from 3), while Courtney Williams tallied 20 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals for the Lynx in the losing effort.

The series will shift to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

WNBA playoffs: Mercury storm back from 20-point deficit, stun Lynx in OT to tie semifinals at 1-1

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