PHOENIX — After missing Sunday’s game, Phoenix Mercury’s Satou Sabally delivered one of her best performances in weeks, helping the Mercury beat the Connecticut Sun 82-66 on Tuesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Could this be the game that gets Sabally going for the rest of the season?
Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) holds her head on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 107-101. © Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Before Tuesday’s game, both the Mercury and Sabally were in a slump. Head coach Nate Tibbetts benched Sabally during Friday’s game against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 1, saying that the All-Star wasn’t bringing the energy that the team needed, according to the team’s post-game presser.
Sabally was struggling on both sides of the ball since returning from a right ankle injury. Before Friday’s game, Sabally was shooting 34.0% from the field and 15.0% from three. She missed 14 consecutive three-point shots in this stretch.
However, Sabally has seemed to turn a corner and returned to her dominant form against the Sun — something that Phoenix has needed out of the All-Star.
Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) celebrates a three-point basket with forward Satou Sabally (0) against the Connecticut Sun during the third quarter in Phoenix, at PHX Arena on Aug 5, 2025. © Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Sabally scored 23 points, shooting 75.0% from the field and shooting one shot from beyond the arc. Tibbetts spoke to the media after the win and said that she looked “at peace” during the game.
“I love how our group has supported her with the things that she’s got going on,” Tibbetts said, according to the team’s post-game presser. “… We want [Sabally] to be aggressive and she was that tonight.”
Sabally credits the team for helping her through the rough patch and how trust built within the team is also reflected on the court.
“I think I really got to experience the family culture here,” she said. “And I felt like I had just tremendous support, along some like just rough days.”
Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) is fouled by Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) during the first quarter at PHX Arena on Aug. 5, 2025, in Phoenix. © Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Phoenix will need Sabally to build on this game and continue to produce for her team. With playoffs just around the corner, every game counts. The All-Star’s presence completely changes the game and helps lessen the pressure on her teammates.
This game might be the turning point not only for Sabally but for the entire team to build on this new momentum.
Satou Sabally with a 👌🏼 to keep adding on!
🎥: @benbliklen #PhoenixMercury #PHXMercury #ValleyTogether pic.twitter.com/FSZXXjzjd9
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) August 6, 2025
If Sabally can go on a run off this game — along with Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas — the rest of the league might need to start worrying about the Mercury again.
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Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde
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