Shey Peddy drills buzzer-beater to lift Phoenix past Washington in first round
It took a buzzer-beater, but the Phoenix Mercury have made it through to the second round.
The Mercury, thanks to a last-second shot from Shey Peddy, topped the Washington Mystics 85-84 at IMG Academy on Tuesday night.
"They released me, so for me to hit that shot against them, it's just like a fairytale moment," Peddy said after the game about beating her old team, via Business Insider. "I don't think you can write it up any better than that."
Shey Peddy hits buzzer-beater
Phoenix struggled early on Tuesday night, and fell into a double-digit hole through three quarters.
Finally, though, they found their game.
The Mercury mounted a massive 17-0 run early in the fourth quarter to take their first lead of the night. Washington, the league’s defending champions, surged back ahead in the final seconds with a 5-0 run of their own — and jumped up by two thanks to a free throw from Leilani Mitchell.
Phoenix had one last shot with just less than six seconds left. Skylar Diggins-Smith caught the inbounds pass and started to drive through the lane to the hoop. As she was stopped, Diggins-Smith found Peddy open in the corner.
Peddy expertly caught the pass, faked and then drilled the shot — giving them the one-point win to advance into the next round of the playoffs.
🙌 @SheyP11 🙌 @PhoenixMercury pic.twitter.com/4mPrk5w4aj
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 16, 2020
Diggins-Smith led the Mercury with 24 points and six rebounds. Diana Taurasi added 23 points, and Peddy finished with 12 off the bench. Her final 3-pointer was just her second of the game.
Mitchell led the Mystics with 25 points while shooting 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Emma Meesseman added 18 points, and Ariel Atkins finished with 13 points.
With the win, the Mercury will take on the Minnesota Lynx in the second round on Thursday.
"That was a dream come true shot right there," Peddy said, via Business Insider. "That was my first ever game-winning shot and to make it on this stage at this moment — man — it's a great feeling."
Connecticut Sun advance after dominant win over Sky
Thanks to a massive third-quarter run, the Connecticut Sun have made it out of the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
The Sun surged ahead in the second half to beat the Chicago Sky 94-81 in their first round playoff matchup at IMG Academy on Tuesday night.
WHO'S NEXT?#SUNState pic.twitter.com/0QhJ4AM3CF
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 16, 2020
The two teams were in lockstep through the first two quarters, and entered the locker room at halftime squared up 41-41. Connecticut, however, came out of the break firing.
The Sun opened up the third quarter on a big 12-2 run and outscored Chicago 27-11 in the period to take full control of the game.
Double-digit lead👍#SUNState pic.twitter.com/xSsiLzNKUP
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 16, 2020
They had secured a 20-point lead near the midway point of the fourth quarter, and cruised to the dominant 13-point win.
Alyssa Thomas led the Sun with 26 points and 13 rebounds — 10 of which were offensive boards, the most in a single playoff game in WNBA history. DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Kaila Charles added 13 off the bench, too.
Allie Quigley led the Sky with 19 points while shooting 7-of-9 from the field. Kahleah Copper added 17 points, and Gabby Williams put up 16 off the bench.
The Sun will take on the Los Angeles Sparks in the second round on Thursday.
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