The WNBA semifinals are set, with the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx taking on No. 4 Phoenix Mercury starting Sunday. The Mercury secured their route to the next round with a 2-1 win over the New York Liberty, who defeated the Lynx 3-2 in last year's finals.

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart became the fastest player to score 1,000 career postseason points on Friday, accomplishing the feat in 46 career playoff games.

Alyssa Thomas had a 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in her fifth career playoff triple-double, and the Phoenix Mercury advanced to the second round of the WNBA playoffs by eliminating the defending champion New York Liberty 79-73 in Game 3 on Friday night.

The Phoenix Mercury began playing in 1997, and over the years, they had good wins over another team whose origins date back to that year.

Copper underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in May and needed to acclimate herself to a new-look Mercury roster. Phoenix will host the Liberty in a decisive Game 3 Friday night.

Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani has done more than enough to earn herself a spot on the All-WNBA rookie team.

Sabrina Ionescu contributed 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds, engineering key fourth-quarter sequences, while Leonie Fiebich’s clutch three with less than a minute remaining in OT closed out the 76-69 victory.