The winner will advance to the semifinals against top-seeded Minnesota Lynx after Phoenix evened series with dominant 86-60 victory in Game 2.

Satou Sabally and the Phoenix Mercury got the best of Sabrina Ionescu and defending champion New York Liberty in the first round of the WNBA playoffs

After delivering a 26-point beating of the Liberty on Wednesday night, Mercury guard Kahleah Copper said she was “shocked” by how hushed the Barclays Center crowd appeared to be. “I don’t think it was loud to start,” Copper said. “I was shocked. I was expecting us to have to deal with some crowd, some court-side people. Like, it was quiet.”

The Phoenix Mercury beat the New York Liberty 3-1 in their season series, and their rookie, Monique Akoa Makani contributed.

Breanna Stewart did not waste any time making a definite statement on her future with the Liberty following their playoff exit.

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Nate Tibbetts emphasized the need for defense in Game 3 for the Mercury to win the series against the Liberty.

Breanna Stewart battled on one healthy leg. Homegrown star Sabrina Ionescu tried to create a spark to guarantee at least one more Barclays Center playoff game. But their efforts weren’t enough. After blowing Game 1,