PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix Mercury lost in heartbreaking fashion to open up the 2025 WNBA Finals.
The Las Vegas Aces beat The Phoenix Mercury 89-86 to take Game 1 of the finals.
The Mercury came out hot to start the game taking an early 10-2 lead. The Aces were able to bounce back and tie the game 21-21 to end the first.
Phoenix’s Kahleah Cooper played a major role for the Mercury as she lead the team in scoring with 21 that included shooting 5-9 from from three point range.
As the second half began, the Mercury attempted to open the game up with multiple scoring runs, but the Aces kept fighting back.
MVP and Aces star A’ja Wilson has dominated throughout most of the playoffs for the team and that continued tonight as she put up 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Aces also got some much needed help from their bench which included 18 points from Jewell Loyd and 21 points from Dana Evans.
A pivotal moment came at the last minute of the game in which Alyssa Thomas missed two free throws that would have given the Mercury the lead with less than a minute to go in the game.
This is the first WNBA Finals in which the winner will be decided in a best-of-seven series with the higher seeded Aces hosting the Mercury in the first two games of the series before heading back to Phoenix for games 3 and 4.
The Mercury will look to rebound as game two of the WNBA Finals takes place Sunday, October 5 in Las Vegas.
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