D’Tigress star Murjanatu Musa was a notable absentee for the Phoenix Mercury, in their 94-89 victory over visiting Chicago Sky, in a WNBA regular season fixture, which went down at the Footprint Center, in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday morning, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 25-year-old, who plays as a centre, only recently teamed up with the Arizona based franchise from French Ligue Feminine outfit Tarbes Gespe Bigorre, and has gradually been eased into action by head coach Nate Tibbetts, making her debut in the Mercury’s 89-86 victory against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 22. She was a no-show in her team’s 77-70 defeat to the Seattle Storm on May 24, and was unavailable when her franchise saw off the Washington Mystics 68-62 on May 25 and the subsequent triumph over Chicago Sky.
The absence of the multiple Afrobasket winners in the Mercury’s last three league games has been attributed to illness. However, she could be in contention to return to the fold, when her team welcomes the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday, May 31, at the Footprint Center.
During the clash against Chicago, Satou Sabally led the charge with 20 points, Alyssa Thomas chipped in with 10 points and 15 assists, while Kitija Laksa came off the bench to drop 18. Meanwhile, Chicago’s Angel Reese put up a brilliant double-double effort, but it was not enough. Reese also made history by becoming the fastest WNBA player to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds in just 38 games.
