After the Mercury fell 76-69 to the New York Liberty, all eyes turned to forward Satou Sabally. Social media lit up with criticism, and the spotlight felt heavy. She had just gone 2-17 from the field, and the Mercury dropped game 1 in overtime. But Coach Nate Tibbetts wasn’t ready to give up on his star offseason acquisition. “That’s the beauty of Satou’s approach,” Tibbetts said, “She’s got a new day mentality. It’s probably one of the worst shooting performances of her career. She had a couple of tough shots, but she had open shots. We believe in her work, and we feel like she’ll be ready to respond.”And respond she did!

Heading into Game 2 at the Barclays Center against the New York Liberty, with their season on the line, the Mercury knew one thing had to change. It wasn’t just about Satou Sabally’s shooting–everyone on the team had to step up. In Game 1, they shot just 32.5% from the field and 23.1% from beyond the arc, so improvement was crucial. And improve they did. The Mercury came out firing, cruising to an 86-60 win and forcing a decisive Game 3!

Sabally bounced back in style, shooting 5-of-11 for 15 points while adding 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. She lived up to the “new-day mentality” Coach Tibbetts had praised before the game. After her Game 1 performance, which was the second-worst shooting night in playoff history with at least 15 attempts, coming back this strong was a clear statement. And this was just the beginning.

The Mercury forward was never the one to shy away from speaking her mind; she had shown that with her comments on the current CBA negotiations. And this time, too, she wasn’t going to stay quiet. When it came to responding to the fans, she sent a clear, four-word warning to anyone who still sees the Liberty as favorites: “We’re not done yet.”

The Mercury as a team shot 47.9% from the field and improved their three-point shooting to 29.2% from the previous game. The team’s big three combined for 49 points, 11 assists, 15 rebounds, and 5 steals. A solid performance from the big 3, who also helped Mercury get 20 fast break points as opposed to Liberty’s 2.

This win carries huge significance for the Mercury. Not only was it the largest road win in WNBA playoff history when facing elimination, but it also snapped a major Liberty streak. This season, every time the Liberty’s big three of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu played, New York had won. Game 2 marked the first time in 14 matchups that Liberty failed to win.

It will likely be a major psychological boost for Phoenix, even with Stewart probably not at full strength after her left MCL injury. The big question now is, can they take down the defending champions and seal the series?

Can Satou Sabally and co win against the New York Liberty?

Before their win over the Liberty, the Mercury had dropped four straight games, but now the momentum feels different. Heading back to the Phoenix Arena, the Mercury could very well be the favorites to win the series–and here’s why.

The biggest factor in Phoenix’s favor is that Breanna Stewart didn’t look fully fit. Playing through injury in Game 2, Stewie logged just 20 minutes and scored 6 points. Then there’s the concerning performance of Sabrina Ionescu. She’s averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 28/20/42 shooting splits, with a 36% true shooting percentage. To make matters worse, she has only hit 4 treys in 20 attempts in the series so far.

It will certainly be interesting to see what the Mercury do in Game 3. Expectations are sky-high now that Satou Sabally has sent her “We’re not done yet” message. But the Liberty won’t be pushovers–they are the defending champions and know how to rise in tough situations. This promises to feel more like a Game 7 of a championship series than a first-round decider. Who do you think will come out on top? Let us know in the comments below!