In a thrilling matchup, the top-seeded team in the league’s semifinals took down the hottest team in the league since the Olympic break, 73-70, in a nail-biting road win. The victory marked the team’s third win of the season against their opponents and their fifth in their last seven matchups.
After the game, star player Marina Mabrey celebrated by grabbing two packs of popcorn and a couple of sodas from the press conference room, joking with her teammate Alyssa Thomas about also getting a Coke Zero. Thomas, who finished one assist shy of a triple-double, laughed it off, saying, “We know what we’ve done all season. We know how we’re playing. We know what we’re capable of. And it doesn’t change anything.”
The team’s disciplined style and reliance on paint production have often flown under the radar this season, but Sunday’s win proved they belong on the league’s biggest stage. Despite being the underdogs, they captured the early momentum by holding their opponents to just 16 points in the first quarter.
In a defensive battle between the two best squads in the league, both teams were held to a 41% clip from the field. But Thomas made big plays late in the game, and Mabrey kept shooting, making six 3-pointers en route to a 20-point performance.
The team’s coach, who was recently awarded the league’s coach of the year and executive of the year awards, has found a formula to stifle their opponents, and it could lead them to the championship finals if it continues to work. As Thomas said, “They’re not an easy team, but we’re going to guard them with the best of them. We try to make everything hard for them.”
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