It’s been a season of sighs and side-eyes for the Dallas Wings, who had been 6-13 until recently. A bunch of injuries kept tripping them up whenever they tried to find their groove. But lately? Something’s changed. Despite clinging to the third-worst record in the league, the Wings have quietly pieced together a top-seven offense, and their rookie squad, led by Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James, is starting to sparkle. Since Bueckers bounced back from concussion protocol, Dallas has begun to be feared, winning five of their last seven. So, optimism was in the air… and then the Phoenix Mercury happened.

Rewind to July 3, when these two teams last met. On paper, the Wings were doomed: no Arike Ogunbowale, no DiJonai Carrington, and starting four rookies – a move not seen since Y2K panic was a thing, 2000 specifically. But somehow, against all odds, they pulled off a stunner. The rookie trio of Bueckers, Quinerly, and James dropped a combined 68 points, 11 boards, and 18 assists, guiding the Wings to a 98-89 win.

“Everyone on that roster can contribute. That’s our competitive depth, and everyone is going to continue to buy into that,” were the words of coach Chris Koclanes following the win. But that depth came into big trouble during the reverse game. Traveling to the Phoenix Arena was never going to be easy. But with injuries to both Kahleah Cooper and Satou Sabally, Paige Bueckers and co had hope! It promised to be an even affair on paper. In reality, though, things turned out very differently.

It was a Sami Whitcomb show from minute 1. In the very first quarter of the game, the Mercury guard had 19 points. Interestingly, she managed to match the entire Wings’ output for the quarter. That pretty much summed up how dominant Phoenix’s start was. They came out with purpose, energy, and a clear mission – revenge.

Naturally, Whitcomb’s performance against Dallas caught the eye of many. Social media lit up with thousands of fans commenting on her first-quarter heroics. Let’s take a look at some of the best fan reactions!

Fans react to Sami Whitcomb destroying Paige Bueckers and co

“Sami Whitcomb is the first quarter 😤🔥,” one fan commented while another joined in to say, “Beastttttt 🔥” And who could blame them? Whitcomb was on fire! She shot 7-of-9 from the field, which included four treys, to score 19 points in the first quarter. She is even the only player this season to have that output in any quarter this season. Also, Whitcomb is now just 3 points behind for most points scored by a player in a quarter, 22 being the highest, set by the likes of Diana Taurasi, Brittney Skyes, and Jewell Lloyd.

“Wow Sami carrying the whole Mercury on her back. It’s going to be a long 3Q’s left for her,” another fan wrote, wondering just how big of an impact she could make as the game progressed! Well, Whitcomb dropped 29 points in the first half alone, prompting another fan to ask, “Is that a WNBA record??” Well, no. The record for most points in a half is held by Riquna Williams at 35, followed closely by Diana Taurasi (32), Cynthia Cooper (31), A’ja Wilson (31), and Maya Moore (31). But, it was the highest first-half total by any player this season! To top it off, she also crossed the 2,000 career points milestone and finished the night with a career-best 36 points. A night to remember for the Australian-American guard, and Mercury made sure to keep it that way. “2,000 reasons to never leave her open,” the franchise posted. “That’s 2,000 career points for our shooter, Sami Whitcomb!”