The WNBA always offers its fair share of surprises. And the recent game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Connecticut Suns was no exception. Despite having a season marred by disappointments, the Phoenix Mercury turned heads and created history against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night. The Mercury flew to new heights in the first quarter, setting a surprising record for the most points scored in a single quarter of a WNBA game.
However, a moment that stood out during the entire game was when a 5’11 player got slammed on the floor by her own teammate.
An icon knocked down by her teammate
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The Phoenix Mercury played miraculously well on Thursday night. They broke the previous record of 44 points set two weeks earlier by the New York Liberty by scoring 45 points in the first quarter alone.
Phoenix connected on 94.1% of their shots, missing just one of their first 17 attempts. Star players Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner made significant contributions, scoring nine points each in the record-breaking quarter.
However, the game was not without its dramatic moments. During the second quarter with barely 10 minutes left on the clock, DiJonai Carrington was brutally slammed onto the floor by her teammate, Bernadett Hatar.
Bernadett Hatar attempted to make a shot. However, she was unable to do so. And while she moved away from the backboard, she bumped into DiJonai Carrington who was going after the ball.
Both the players fell down but Carrington was brutally slammed onto the floor. She lay on her stomach, covering her face in pain.
However, Carrington was shortly able to get up with assistance and was escorted to the locker room.
The game must go on
The Mercury’ remained dominant in the initial moment of the game with a startling 23-point lead. They had an intimidating advantage of 26-3. The team were able to play at a rapid pace in the first quarter. However, they were unable to maintain it for the duration of the game. If they had kept up their record-breaking pace, they would have defeated the Sun by an incredible 180-84 to win the game. However, the Mercury ultimately won 90-84.
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Phoenix’s offensive performance substantially declined in the second quarter, when they attempted just six shots and scored just seven points. A string of errors gave the Sun an opportunity to profit and score an additional 13 points.
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However, the remarkable 45-point first-quarter effort served as the Mercury’s lifeline, keeping them leading in the game the entire time.