Satou Sabally drops heartfelt two-word reaction after $125,000 Mercury star sends Lynx into dismay

Satou Sabally and the Phoenix Mercury shocked the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night, pulling off an 89-93 overtime victory to tie their semifinals series at 1-1. Key to the Mercury’s rally was Sami Whitcomb, who drained the clutch three to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, the Mercury outscored the Lynx 10-4, sealing the comeback after once trailing by as many as 20. On Instagram, Sabally showed love to her teammate, who is on a one-year, $125,000 deal with Phoenix.

“My shooter,” Sabally wrote.

Satou Sabally drops heartfelt two-word reaction to Sami Whitcomb's clutch heroics

Whitcomb has established herself as one of the WNBA’s top bench players, finishing fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting this season with averages of 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc.Her postseason numbers have remained consistent, putting up 9.2 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game in the 2025 playoffs.

In Game 2 of their second-round matchup with Minnesota, Whitcomb tallied 13 points, knocked down three triples, and dished out six assists. Phoenix as a team hit 13 threes compared to the Lynx’s seven.

Satou Sabally also stood out with 24 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high five threes, while Alyssa Thomas contributed 19 points, 13 assists, and eight boards.

For the Lynx, MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier poured in 24 points, Kayla McBride added 21, and Courtney Williams chipped in 20 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds.

Mercury coach praises team’s shooting with Satou Sabally, Sami Whitcomb leading the way

During the regular season, Phoenix was middle of the pack from deep, ranking sixth at 34.0%, and their shooting dipped further in the playoffs to just 29.5%.

But in Game 2 against Minnesota, the Mercury caught fire, shooting 40.6% from 3 -- something Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said was pivotal in the win.

“We have not shot it very well here lately,” he said. “Obviously, we believe in our shooters. That's why we take them. When Sami makes threes, we're pretty good. And she was really good tonight. She was aggressive. Satou was aggressive.“They're either going to take away the paint or take away 3s — and it's really hard to do both. And we had a lot of 3s tonight and we knocked them out.”

Game 3 of the Mercury vs. Lynx series shifts to Phoenix on Friday.

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro