Phoenix Mercury Forward Elisa Thomas (25) slapped hands with Phoenix Mercury Forward Devanna Bonner (14) during the first quarter against Minnesota Links in PHX Arina on 9 July 2025. Elisa Thomas scored a career-high 29 points and added eight rebounds, as host Phoenix Mercury climbed the League-Agni Minnesota links with a 79–71 win on Wednesday afternoon.
Thomas scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, when Mercury shut down the game on 19–4 runs.
Monon Akaa Makani contributed 13 points, Devna Boner recorded seven points and six rebounds in his return to Mercury, while Sami Whitcomb got 10 points and six assistance for Phoenix (14-6), who won eight out of 10.
Courtney Williams selected 21 points and six rebounds and Nefesa Kolier with 18 points and seven rebels for Links (17-3), who had four-game, five-game winning streak in the first game of the six-day road trip.
Links won the first two matches in the season series. 1-2 teams in the league standing, will be found in the fourth and final time on 16 July 16 in Miniapolis.
WNBA’s major scorer Collier had 14 points in the second half after scoring only three field goals in the first half. He recorded an average of 24.3 points per game.
Links used 17–6 runs to take a 57-52 lead after the third quarter, as Colirs and Williams combined for 14 points.
But Williams defeated the shot clock with a 3-pointer for the 67–60 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the mercury slowly took behind Thomas.
Links again placed the mercury in the bay. Mercury, a league-high 10.5 three-pointers per game average, a three-point range of 16 attempts and created only 9-62 in the season series.
Minnesota enjoyed 36–35 rebounding age, and his 10 aggressive rebels gave 19 seconds points. Alana Smith rejected nine rebels and Jessica Shepard added seven.
But Links made only 42.9 percent of its territory target efforts and 18 total turnover, which were seven more than mercury.
Para shot 46.6 percent from the floor, for the first time she shot more than 40 percent against the links this season.
The three-digit game of the boner on a lobe pass of Thomas gave Mercury a 40-37 halftime lead.
Thomas and Boner, who announced their engagement in the 2023 WNBA all-star game, played their first game together, as the two left the Connecticut Sun after the last season.
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