James, Bueckers lead rookie-heavy Wings past Mercury, 98–89
Aziaha James scored 20 of her 28 points in the first half, Paige Bueckers added 23, and the Dallas Wings started four rookies in a 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday night.
JJ Quinerly contributed a career-high 17 points for the Wings (6-13), who have now won five of their last seven games. Fellow rookie starter Luisa Geiselsöder added four points, while second-year center Li Yueru went 10 of 12 from the free-throw line and finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
James hit five 3-pointers and also tallied six rebounds and six assists.
Kahleah Copper led the Mercury (12-6) with 33 points, marking the 11th 30-point game of her career. Satou Sabally added 20 points and Monique Akoa Makani chipped in 14. Phoenix has now dropped two straight after a six-game winning streak.
Dallas came out hot, making 10 of 13 shots—including three 3-pointers—and going a perfect 9 for 9 from the line to take a 32-20 lead after the first quarter. James scored 13 points in the second quarter alone, surpassing her previous career high of 17 before halftime. The Wings closed their best half of the season with a 61-43 lead, shooting 61% from the field, 7 of 13 from beyond the arc, and 14 of 15 from the line.
Phoenix shot just 37% in the first half and went 3 for 14 from 3-point range, though they stayed in the game by hitting 14 of 16 free throws.
Copper sparked a third-quarter rally with two 3-pointers and eight points in under a minute. Alyssa Thomas, who finished with nine points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, added a layup to cut the deficit to 67-63 midway through the period. But James responded with a three-point play, and Dallas rebuilt its lead to 82-71 heading into the fourth.
The Wings extended their advantage to as many as 18 points at 92-74 in the final quarter.
