It was an unforgettable week of playoff basketball, summer beaters and blowouts for Phoenix basketball fans. Tonight, many of those fans likely switched between watching the suns in Game 6 and cheering on some of the WNBA’s best at home. While the Suns dominated the Lakers, the Mercury celebrated a 77-74 overtime win on the Random Act of Kindness Phoenix Night. The Mercury outperformed the Sky in color 42-32 and had some players put up some historical numbers. Brittney Griner made history before closing the first quarter, becoming one of only two WNBA players in the 4,000-point club. 4,000 and scoring! 📈BG joins Lisa Leslie as the only two players in @WNBA history with 4,000 points and 650 blocks! She reached the milestone in 232 games, 49 games faster than Leslie. #CountIt pic.twitter.com/dk8XOrgzqJ – Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 4, 2021 The Phoenix Mercury roster is awash with talented players like Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, but there was another prodigy in the arena tonight. After closing the first quarter with Mercury at the helm of Sky 18-16, all eyes were on one more young woman making history. The Phoenix Mercury partnered with Desert Financial Credit Union, Frys Food Stores, and Arizona State University to bring a casual gesture of kindness to 12-year-old Alena Wicker, ✨Here is your token of a random gesture of kindness Jeff Meshey, the President and CEO of @DesertFinancial told me why he was drawn to helping 12-year-old Alena Wicker achieve her dream of one day working for NASA. pic.twitter.com/MtkOKcdsTP – Claudia Faust (@claudianfaust) June 4, 2021 The “young prodigy” received a scholarship to study at Arizona State University for four years. Yes, she is 12 years old and is already studying engineering at ASU. “Obviously she’s a child prodigy and wants to work for NASA one day,” said Jeff Meshey, president and CEO of Desert Financial Credit Union. Our next winner in our series BELIEVE IN WOMEN from @FrysFoodStores is 12 years old – old genius @BrownStemGirl! Alena is already visiting @ASU where she plans to become a NASA engineer and she has started her own website to outlet girls of color in STEM. pic.twitter.com/Pxp1tOTduI – Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 4, 2021 After beating Heaven on Tuesday, it didn’t take Kia Nurse long to score big games in this rematch and 9 points in the first half. Skylar Diggins-Smith also produced in the first half, scooping 12 points in the first half. Griner played her best basketball in the third quarter, knocking two balls away and even diving into the sky. Griner initially missed her first attempt at dunking the game, but decided that her next chance to dunk would be a success. “I told Sky I wasn’t going to go back to layup, if I go to the edge like that I’ll dip it in,” Griner said. “Either I’ll be hanged or I’ll make it.” 😳😳😳 # 4TheValley https://t.co/qIpZdTpuXM— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 4, 2021 “I definitely think it was a spark,” said Griner. “Everyone was somehow enlightened afterwards.” Despite Griner’s flashy plays, the Mercury lost the lead in the third quarter with 51:43. However, it was Diggins-Smith in the fourth quarter who really struggled for a comeback that drew two and ones. Fans stood up when the Mercury were only three points behind them in the fourth quarter, two minutes from time. Chicago led by up to 13 points in the game, but they couldn’t hold it in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Diggins-Smith tied the game at 65 after pocketing a free throw and the game was forced into overtime. Heaven got the shot they wanted, but it just won’t go down. 😖 @ PhoenixMercury gets his FIRST HOME WIN of the season! pic.twitter.com/XWu6F1iN6s – CBS Sports WNBA (@CBSSportsWNBA) June 4, 2021 There were two leadership changes in overtime, but it was ultimately the Mercury who beat the Sky 77-74. The overtime win was her first home win of the season and her second straight win over Chicago Sky. “It was a game of runs,” said Diggins-Smith. “Overall, I thought we just got another tough win.” Diggins-Smith also attributed the “X-Factor” tonight, saying the crowd helped them take their first home win of the season.
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