Minnesota lynx vs Phoenix mercury match player stats
Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury match player stats from June 2, 2026, tell the story of a game that was controlled by Minnesota from the opening minutes. The Lynx defeated the Mercury 111-77 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, producing a 34-point margin in a Commissioner’s Cup matchup. Minnesota’s 64% field-goal shooting, 59% three-point shooting, 28 assists, and 11 turnovers explain much of the result, while Courtney Williams led all scorers with 30 points and Olivia Miles delivered 19 points and 10 assists.
The final score was not simply the result of one outstanding scoring performance. Minnesota created advantages across several areas of the box score. The Lynx shot efficiently, moved the ball well, protected possessions, and built a lead early enough that Phoenix spent most of the game trying to recover.
For readers studying the box score, this matchup offers a useful example of why player statistics need to be viewed alongside team efficiency. A 30-point performance stands out immediately, but the larger story is how Minnesota’s individual contributions connected with its 64% shooting and 28-assist team performance.
Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury match player stats
The June 2 matchup ended with Minnesota ahead 111-77. The game was played at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, with an attendance of 9,234.
| Category | Minnesota Lynx | Phoenix Mercury |
| Final Score | 111 | 77 |
| Field Goals | 44-69 | 22-64 |
| Field Goal % | 64% | 34% |
| Three-Pointers | 10-17 | 10-27 |
| Three-Point % | 59% | 37% |
| Free Throws | 13-13 | 23-27 |
| Rebounds | 35 | 24 |
| Assists | 28 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 14 |
| Steals | 10 | 6 |
| Blocks | 5 | 0 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 8 | 11 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 27 | 13 |
| Team Fouls | 22 | 12 |
The biggest statistical difference was shooting efficiency. Minnesota made 44 of 69 field-goal attempts, while Phoenix made only 22 of 64. That created a 22-made-field-goal advantage despite both teams making 10 three-pointers.
That point is important because it shows that the Lynx did not win solely by taking more threes. They were substantially more effective across their overall shot selection.
How the game developed quarter by quarter
Minnesota established control immediately.
First quarter: Minnesota 35, Phoenix 22
The opening period produced a 13-point Minnesota advantage. The Lynx scored 35 points in the first quarter, forcing Phoenix to play from behind almost immediately.
A 35-point opening quarter also provided Minnesota with an important strategic benefit. Once a team establishes a double-digit lead early, the opposing side has to make adjustments while simultaneously trying to protect its own offensive rhythm.
Phoenix’s 22 points were not enough to keep pace.
Second quarter: Minnesota 32, Phoenix 18
The second quarter widened the gap considerably. Minnesota added 32 points while Phoenix scored 18.
At halftime, Minnesota had scored 67 points compared with Phoenix’s 40. The 27-point halftime advantage meant the Mercury faced a difficult second half without much room for error.
Minnesota’s ability to keep producing after its strong opening quarter was especially significant. Instead of allowing Phoenix to settle into the game, the Lynx continued generating efficient offense.
Third quarter: Minnesota 21, Phoenix 16
The third quarter was lower scoring for both teams, but Minnesota still extended its advantage by five points.
The Lynx scored 21 points compared with 16 for Phoenix. With the margin already large, Minnesota did not need another explosive scoring period. Maintaining control was enough.
Fourth quarter: Minnesota 23, Phoenix 21
Phoenix slightly improved its offensive output in the final period, scoring 21 points. Minnesota answered with 23.
The fourth quarter therefore remained relatively competitive compared with the first half, but the result was already firmly established. Minnesota closed the game with a 111-77 victory.
The quarter-by-quarter scoring was:
- Minnesota 35, Phoenix 22
- Minnesota 32, Phoenix 18
- Minnesota 21, Phoenix 16
- Minnesota 23, Phoenix 21
The pattern is revealing. Minnesota won every quarter, rather than relying on one isolated scoring burst.
Courtney Williams leads Minnesota with 30 points
Courtney Williams was Minnesota’s leading scorer with 30 points.
Her scoring output accounted for a major portion of the Lynx’s 111-point total and made her the clearest individual scoring headline from the matchup.
A 30-point performance is especially notable when it comes within an offense that also generated 28 assists. Minnesota was not simply relying on one player to create everything. The team’s ball movement allowed multiple contributors to participate while Williams provided the highest scoring output.
For people analyzing player performance, this distinction matters. High scoring and team offense are not necessarily the same thing. In this game, Williams’ 30 points existed within an unusually efficient team performance.
Olivia Miles records 19 points and 10 assists
Olivia Miles finished with 19 points and 10 assists.
The 10-assist figure is particularly important because it represented the highest assist total for either team. Miles combined scoring with playmaking, giving Minnesota another major offensive creator.
Her performance helps explain why the Lynx finished with 28 assists. The team was able to turn individual creation into shared offense.
A player who scores 19 points while also recording 10 assists affects a game in multiple ways. The scoring contributes directly to the scoreboard, while the assists can create efficient opportunities for teammates.
For a box-score reader, Miles’ line is therefore one of the most complete individual performances in this matchup.
Antonia Delaere adds 13 points
Antonia Delaere was Minnesota’s third-highest scorer with 13 points.
While her total was well below Williams’ 30, the distribution of scoring is still significant. Minnesota had three identified leading scorers in double figures, with Williams at 30, Miles at 19, and Delaere at 13.
That balance made the Lynx harder to defend than an offense dependent on a single scorer.
The broader team numbers reinforce that point. Minnesota finished with 44 made field goals and 28 assists, indicating that its scoring came from an offense capable of generating opportunities for several players.
Minnesota’s rebounding leaders
Minnesota’s leading rebounders were Nia Brodie, Teaira McCowan, and Maya Caldwell, with six rebounds each.
The Lynx finished with 35 total rebounds. Phoenix had 24.
The overall rebounding difference was 11 boards in Minnesota’s favor.
However, the offensive-rebounding numbers provide an interesting detail. Phoenix actually collected more offensive rebounds, 11 to Minnesota’s eight. That suggests the Mercury were able to create some second-chance opportunities even while losing the overall rebounding battle.
Minnesota’s advantage came primarily from defensive rebounding. The Lynx recorded 27 defensive rebounds compared with Phoenix’s 13.
That difference helped Minnesota finish possessions and limit Phoenix’s opportunities to extend possessions through offensive boards.
Teaira McCowan contributes on both ends
Teaira McCowan was among Minnesota’s leading rebounders with six and also tied Natasha Howard for the team’s steal lead with three.
That combination is useful when evaluating her contribution beyond scoring.
A box score can make a player appear less prominent if the reader focuses only on points. Defensive activity, rebounding, and possession-changing plays can also influence the structure of a game.
McCowan’s six rebounds and three steals provided measurable contributions in two areas that do not appear in the scoring column.
Natasha Howard leads Minnesota in steals
Natasha Howard recorded three steals, tying McCowan for Minnesota’s team lead.
Minnesota finished with 10 steals overall, compared with six for Phoenix.
The difference was not enormous in isolation, but it contributed to Minnesota’s ability to create additional possessions and disrupt Phoenix’s offensive flow.
The Lynx also recorded five blocks. Phoenix had none.
That defensive statistical combination gives a clearer picture of Minnesota’s performance than the final score alone.
Phoenix Mercury player statistics
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 18 points.
Copper was the Mercury’s most productive scorer, but Phoenix did not receive enough scoring support to match Minnesota’s offensive efficiency.
Noemie Brochant finished with 11 points, while Monique Akoa Makani scored 10.
The three leading Phoenix scorers therefore recorded 18, 11, and 10 points respectively.
Phoenix’s overall field-goal percentage was only 34%, compared with Minnesota’s 64%. That 30-percentage-point difference was one of the defining statistics of the game.
Kahleah Copper scores 18 points
Copper’s 18 points made her Phoenix’s leading scorer.
Her production was important because Phoenix needed reliable scoring to respond to Minnesota’s fast start. However, the Mercury’s overall shooting efficiency prevented the team from consistently converting possessions into points.
Phoenix did shoot 85% from the free-throw line, making 23 of 27 attempts. That was a strong percentage, but free throws alone could not offset the difference in field-goal efficiency.
Noemie Brochant scores 11
Noemie Brochant contributed 11 points for Phoenix.
Her scoring placed her second among the Mercury’s listed leading scorers. Phoenix needed contributions like this to complement Copper, but Minnesota’s defense and shooting efficiency kept the gap large.
Monique Akoa Makani adds 10 points and five assists
Monique Akoa Makani finished with 10 points and five assists.
Her five assists tied Alyssa Thomas for the Phoenix team lead.
Makani also recorded two steals, which was Phoenix’s highest individual steal total in the game.
That makes her box-score line notable because she contributed in three different categories: scoring, playmaking, and defense.
Natasha Mack dominates Phoenix’s rebounding
Natasha Mack was Phoenix’s leading rebounder with 11 boards.
Her total was five rebounds higher than any Minnesota individual leader, even though Minnesota won the overall rebounding battle.
This is a useful reminder that individual and team rebounding statistics can tell different stories.
Mack’s 11 rebounds represented a significant personal contribution. Yet Phoenix finished with 24 rebounds overall compared with Minnesota’s 35, showing that the Lynx had greater collective rebounding production.
Alyssa Thomas and Phoenix’s playmaking
Alyssa Thomas recorded five assists, tying Makani for Phoenix’s team lead.
Phoenix finished with 18 assists overall, 10 fewer than Minnesota.
That gap matters because Minnesota made 44 field goals and generated 28 assists. Phoenix made 22 field goals with 18 assists.
The assist-to-made-field-goal relationship shows that Minnesota’s offense was particularly connected. Many of its successful shots were created through passing rather than isolated scoring.
The biggest statistical difference was shooting
The clearest explanation for the 111-77 final score is the difference in field-goal efficiency.
Minnesota:
- 44 made field goals
- 69 attempts
- 64% shooting
- 10 of 17 from three-point range
- 13 of 13 from the free-throw line
Phoenix:
- 22 made field goals
- 64 attempts
- 34% shooting
- 10 of 27 from three-point range
- 23 of 27 from the free-throw line
Both teams made 10 three-pointers.
That is one of the most interesting aspects of the game.
Phoenix did not lose because it failed to make any threes. Both teams converted the same number of three-point attempts. The difference was that Minnesota needed only 17 attempts to make 10, while Phoenix needed 27.
In other words, Minnesota’s three-point efficiency was dramatically higher.
The Lynx also made twice as many field goals overall. That combination created a substantial scoring advantage.
Minnesota’s 64% shooting explains the offensive explosion
Shooting 64% from the field is an extraordinary team number over a full game.
Minnesota made 44 of 69 attempts. That means the Lynx converted nearly two out of every three field-goal attempts.
The 59% three-point percentage was similarly efficient.
The free-throw performance was perfect, with Minnesota going 13 for 13.
Together, those numbers show an offense that was extremely efficient in every major shooting category.
Phoenix, meanwhile, made 34% of its field-goal attempts and 37% of its threes.
That contrast created a statistical environment where Minnesota could score 111 points without needing an unusually high number of possessions.
Assists and ball movement tell another part of the story
Minnesota finished with 28 assists.
Phoenix recorded 18.
The 10-assist difference is significant, particularly when combined with Minnesota’s field-goal total.
The Lynx made 44 field goals and recorded 28 assists. Phoenix made 22 field goals and recorded 18 assists.
This does not mean every made basket was assisted, because the box score does not require every field goal to have an assist. However, the totals strongly illustrate the difference in offensive connectivity.
Olivia Miles’ 10 assists were central to that production.
Her playmaking gave Minnesota another mechanism for creating efficient scoring opportunities, while the team’s other players converted those opportunities at a high rate.
Turnovers favored Minnesota
Minnesota committed 11 turnovers.
Phoenix committed 14.
The difference was three turnovers.
That is not large enough by itself to explain a 34-point result, but it was another area where Minnesota avoided giving away possessions.
Minnesota also recorded 10 steals compared with six for Phoenix.
That created a positive defensive activity profile for the Lynx.
When shooting efficiency, assists, turnovers, steals, and rebounding are considered together, the overall statistical picture becomes much clearer.
Phoenix’s free-throw shooting was a positive
One area where Phoenix performed well was free-throw shooting.
The Mercury made 23 of 27 free throws, an 85% conversion rate.
Minnesota went 13 for 13.
Both teams therefore shot well from the free-throw line.
Phoenix actually attempted 14 more free throws than Minnesota.
That makes the final result even more notable because Phoenix had an advantage at the free-throw line in both attempts and made free throws.
The Mercury simply could not turn that advantage into enough overall scoring because their field-goal efficiency was much lower.
Minnesota’s defensive rebounding advantage
Minnesota recorded 27 defensive rebounds.
Phoenix recorded 13.
That 14-rebound difference on the defensive glass was one of the most substantial team statistical gaps.
Phoenix did have 11 offensive rebounds, compared with Minnesota’s eight. That indicates that the Mercury were able to recover some of their own missed shots.
But the Lynx were far more successful at securing defensive rebounds and ending possessions.
For game analysis, this distinction is valuable. Total rebounds are useful, but offensive and defensive rebounds reveal more about how possessions were created and finished.
What the 111-77 score says about team execution
The final margin of 34 points can sometimes tempt readers to focus only on the difference in scoring.
The underlying numbers offer a more detailed explanation.
Minnesota:
- Shot 64% from the field
- Shot 59% from three
- Made every free throw
- Had 28 assists
- Had 35 rebounds
- Recorded 10 steals
- Recorded five blocks
- Turned the ball over 11 times
Phoenix:
- Shot 34% from the field
- Shot 37% from three
- Shot 85% from the line
- Had 18 assists
- Had 24 rebounds
- Recorded six steals
- Recorded no blocks
- Turned the ball over 14 times
The contrast is not based on one category. Minnesota had advantages in several major areas simultaneously.
Season series context
The supplied game data shows Minnesota leading the season series 3-0.
The listed matchups were:
- May 13: Minnesota 88, Phoenix 84
- June 2: Minnesota 111, Phoenix 77
- July 14: Minnesota 104, Phoenix 100
The June 2 result was therefore the largest margin among the three listed meetings.
The first and third games were much closer, while the June 2 matchup developed into a 34-point Minnesota victory.
That makes the June 2 box score particularly useful for understanding how different a game can become when shooting efficiency separates sharply between two teams.
Minnesota’s 7-2 record and Phoenix’s 2-8 record
The supplied data lists Minnesota at 7-2 overall and 5-0 away entering the matchup context.
Phoenix was listed at 2-8 overall and 1-4 at home.
Those records provide background for the game, but the individual statistics still matter because they show what happened on the court rather than relying only on season-level results.
Minnesota’s 5-0 away mark was particularly relevant because this matchup was played in Phoenix.
The Lynx therefore continued a strong away-game pattern according to the supplied record.
Why this box score matters for player analysis
A useful player-stat article should answer more than who scored the most points.
The important questions are:
- Who created scoring?
- Who generated efficient shots?
- Who controlled the boards?
- Who created turnovers?
- Who moved the ball?
- Which individual performances supported the team’s overall strategy?
For Minnesota, Courtney Williams was the primary scoring headline, while Olivia Miles supplied a major playmaking component.
For Phoenix, Copper led the scoring, Mack controlled the individual rebounding numbers, and Thomas and Makani shared the team assist lead.
These different contributions make the box score more informative than a simple scoring list.
Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury match player stats: key takeaways
The most important statistical takeaways from the matchup are straightforward.
1. Courtney Williams led all scorers
Williams scored 30 points to lead Minnesota and all players in the game.
2. Olivia Miles produced a double-double
Miles finished with 19 points and 10 assists, giving Minnesota a major two-way offensive contribution.
3. Minnesota shot 64%
The Lynx made 44 of 69 field-goal attempts.
4. Minnesota made 10 threes at 59%
The Lynx made 10 of 17 three-point attempts.
5. Phoenix made 10 threes but needed 27 attempts
The Mercury’s 10 made threes came on 27 attempts, resulting in a 37% three-point rate.
6. Minnesota won the overall rebounding battle
The Lynx collected 35 rebounds compared with Phoenix’s 24.
7. Phoenix had the leading individual rebounder
Natasha Mack collected 11 rebounds.
8. Minnesota created more assists
The Lynx recorded 28 assists compared with Phoenix’s 18.
9. Minnesota protected possessions better
The Lynx committed 11 turnovers, while Phoenix had 14.
10. Minnesota won every quarter
The Lynx outscored Phoenix 35-22, 32-18, 21-16, and 23-21.
How readers should evaluate a player box score
When reviewing a WNBA matchup, it is tempting to sort players only by points.
A better approach is to examine several categories together.
Start with scoring, then look at shooting percentage. After that, examine assists and turnovers to understand playmaking efficiency. Rebounds help explain possession control, while steals and blocks reveal defensive activity.
For this game, that method immediately shows why Minnesota’s performance was so effective.
Williams’ 30 points stand out, but Miles’ 10 assists, McCowan’s six rebounds and three steals, Howard’s three steals, and the team’s 28 assists all add context.
Likewise, Copper’s 18 points were important for Phoenix, but Mack’s 11 rebounds and Makani’s five assists and two steals show additional areas of contribution.
Source and box-score reference
The supplied game record identifies ESPN Game ID 401856954 for this matchup. Readers who want to cross-check the official box-score listing can use ESPN’s WNBA box score.
The article’s statistical analysis above is based on the game data provided for the June 2, 2026 matchup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the top scorer in the Minnesota Lynx vs Phoenix Mercury game?
Courtney Williams led all scorers with 30 points for Minnesota.
How many points did Olivia Miles score?
Olivia Miles scored 19 points and also recorded 10 assists.
What was the final score between Minnesota and Phoenix?
Minnesota defeated Phoenix 111-77 on June 2, 2026.
Who led Phoenix in scoring?
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 18 points.
Who had the most rebounds for Phoenix?
Natasha Mack led Phoenix with 11 rebounds.
How many three-pointers did each team make?
Both teams made 10 three-pointers. Minnesota made 10 of 17 attempts, while Phoenix made 10 of 27.
Conclusion
The June 2, 2026 matchup between Minnesota and Phoenix was defined by a major difference in offensive efficiency. Minnesota scored 111 points while shooting 64% from the field and 59% from three-point range. The Lynx also recorded 28 assists, 35 rebounds, 10 steals, and only 11 turnovers.
Courtney Williams supplied the game’s highest scoring total with 30 points, while Olivia Miles added 19 points and 10 assists. Minnesota also received meaningful contributions on the boards and defensive end from several players.
Phoenix had notable individual performances of its own. Kahleah Copper scored 18 points, Natasha Mack grabbed 11 rebounds, and Monique Akoa Makani contributed 10 points, five assists, and two steals. The Mercury also shot 85% from the free-throw line and made 10 three-pointers.
Ultimately, the 34-point result came from a combination of factors rather than one statistic. Minnesota shot far more efficiently from the field, moved the ball more effectively, controlled defensive rebounds, committed fewer turnovers, and won every quarter. Those numbers provide the clearest explanation of how the Lynx turned a competitive WNBA matchup into a 111-77 victory.
