Mercury oust Liberty

The Liberty entered the 2025 WNBA playoffs carrying the weight of champions. Last season’s run raised expectations of both contention and continuity; they were bent on showing all and sundry that they possessed the resiliency to retain the crown. Yesterday, however, the dream was damned for good, with the final score of 79-73 in favor of the Mercury telling only part of the story. The loss in the rubber match of the first round was not borne of a col-

- ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG

lapse; neither was it a shock in and of itself. Rather, it resulted from the inevitable convergence of all the factors that had slowly undermined their season. And, in the process, the belief that grit and talent could overcome circumstance was exposed as an illusion.

Not surprisingly, Most Valuable Player candidate Alyssa Thomas set the tone for the Mercury; the first-of-its-kind 20-point triple-double underscored a trademark capacity to bend the game as required. Meanwhile, the Liberty leaned heavily on Breanna Stewart, who played through a sprained knee to put up 30, nine, three, two, and two. That she scored all 14 of their points in the fourth quarter was as much a reflection of her will as proof of their deficiencies. Not only were they atrocious from deep; more critically, they could not overcome a significant rebounding deficit that had them giving up too many second, and third, chances.