WNBA Mercury Beat Liberty 76-64, Land No. 1 Spot in West
By Kimberley McLeod
Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the Phoenix Mercury beat the New York Liberty, 76-64, giving the Mercury the most wins in the WNBA’s Western Conference and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. This is the first time in four years that the West has a new regular season champion (they’ve won 27 games and only lost four). Out players Brittney Griner (Mercury) and Liberty’s Cappie Pondexter shined on the court.
Pondexter scored 12 points (making three assists and 6 out of 17 shots) while Griner had 14 points. It was Griner’s first game in the Garden as a pro athlete. Griner also had 11 rebounds and added three more blocks to increase her WNBA single-season record to 122.
ELIXHER got the chance to catch up with the players in the locker room post-game.
“It was a tough loss,” Pondexter told ELIXHER. “It put us further behind in the playoff race.”
“It’s been a rough year, a building year,” she continued. “I can’t count on my hands how many people I’ve played with in the last three years. There’s been a lot of changes and just us trying to get used to each other. That’s the frustrating part.”
Griner weighed in on what a great year it’s been for LGBT representation in sports, especially with the WNBA Pride initiative and LGBT-themed games during the month of June.
“This year has been big with the Pride game,” Griner shared with ELIXHER. “The League’s listening to us. I’ve definitely been voicing my opinions on what we should do. We’re always trying to make it a safe zone for the LGBT community to come out to the game.”
“Being an out athlete, the one thing I want to do is show the youth — and anybody honestly — to just be comfortable in your skin,” she added. “That’s my main message that I’m always telling everyone. Be who you are. Be unique. That’s what makes us all beautiful.”
The Mercury is just one victory away from tying the WNBA single season record of 28 wins with three games to go. The Liberty will have another shot at reigning as champions in upcoming games against the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics. The WNBA playoffs begin August 21.
Kimberley McLeod is a media strategist and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocate. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of ELIXHER.
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