Cunningham lauds Mercury’s effort after tough loss

Times are tough in Phoenix.

Diana Taurasi is out with a bum hammy. Brittney Griner is out with a bum hip. Michaela Onyenwere left today’s game early after an apparent blow to the face. And generally when you’re missing your two highest paid players and bona fide Hall of Famers, along with a first round pick you traded for, it’s going to be tough to beat one of the league’s super teams.

The Phoenix Mercury’s loss to the New York Liberty didn’t offer a flattering score line. You won’t find many teams lauding their fight after an 89-71 loss. But guided by Sophie Cunningham’s 27 points, the Mercury were able to trim the Liberty’s lead to 8 points late in the game, causing New York to reassert themselves with their starters. That’s a small victory, but Cunningham was happy with it all the same.

Cunningham finished the game by shooting 9-15 from the field and 5-10 from three. She’s averaging just a tick over 13 points per game this season, third on the team behind Taurasi and Griner. She’s been the team’s go-to scorer without their two stars, which is saying something considering the difficulty they’ve faced keeping those two on the court (Griner’s captivity in Russia aside, of course.)

If you want to show your appreciation for the Mayor of Columbia, go ahead and vote for her to be in the WNBA All-Star Game. Come on, you know you want to.

Yesterday at Rock M

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