Phoenix Mercury beat Chicago Sky 91-83

Phoenix beat Chicago 91-83 on Friday night at Mortgage Matchup Center after the Sky wiped out a 17-point second-half deficit and briefly moved in front in the fourth quarter. Jovana Nogic scored 27 points for the Mercury, and Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper added 17 points apiece, according to the WNBA recap and Associated Press game report. (wnba.com) Rickea Jackson scored 29 points for Chicago, but the Sky took their first loss after opening the season unbeaten. Chicago trailed for most of the night, then moved ahead 75-73 with 5:49 left in the fourth quarter, according to the Fox Sports play-by-play. (newsday.com) Phoenix answered late and closed the game from there, holding off the Sky in a nationally televised matchup carried on ION, the WNBA game page showed. ### How did Phoenix regain control after Chicago took the lead? Phoenix led by as many as 17 points before Chicago’s rally, but the Mercury made the late shots they needed after the Sky’s fourth-quarter push, according to the Arizona Republic’s game report. (wnba.com) Nate Tibbetts told the newspaper that as trust continues to build, the Mercury should improve in late-game situations. The WNBA recap listed Nogic as Phoenix’s top scorer with 27 points, while Thomas and Copper each finished with 17. (foxsports.com) Thomas also had 11 rebounds, according to multiple game reports. ### Why did Rickea Jackson’s big night not hold up? Jackson scored 29 points and helped drive the comeback that briefly put Chicago in front in the final six minutes, according to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Sky still fell to 2-1 after Phoenix steadied in the closing stretch. (azcentral.com) Chicago played short-handed for much of the night. The Sky’s team recap said Skylar Diggins, Courtney Vandersloot, Azurá Stevens, DiJonai Carrington and Maddy Westbeld were out, while Elizabeth Williams remained on a minutes restriction. (wnba.com) ### What stood out in the flow of the game? Fox Sports’ game tracker showed Phoenix completing an 18-4 run late in the second quarter to build separation, with the Mercury leading 45-33 with 40 seconds left in the period. Chicago later answered with a 16-4 run in the fourth quarter to turn a deficit into a 75-74 edge. (chicagotribune.com) The Associated Press recap said Phoenix blew the large second-half lead but still finished the game with enough offense to avoid a collapse. The result moved the Mercury to 2-2 and handed Chicago its first defeat. (sky.wnba.com) ### Who were the other key contributors? Alyssa Thomas finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix, according to the game reports. Kahleah Copper also scored 17 against her former team, giving the Mercury three players in double figures above 17 points. Chicago’s official recap described the loss as the end of a comeback that nearly rescued the game despite the injuries in the rotation. (foxsports.com) The team said Jackson “played at an All-Star level,” though the rally stopped short in the final minutes. (wnba.com) ### What comes next for both teams? Chicago will finish its four-game road trip at Minnesota on Sunday, according to the AP recap and the Sky’s team report. Phoenix will stay home and play Toronto on Tuesday in its third straight home game, the AP report said. (newsday.com) (sky.wnba.com) (wnba.com)