Western Conference matchup: Tulsa looking to end skid in game vs. Phoenix
Phoenix Mercury (10-7) at Tulsa Shock (10-8)
- Thursday, July 30, 8 p.m. ET, BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
- No TV. Streaming on WNBA LiveAccess
- Promotion: Health and Wellness night sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma to present Health and Wellness night. First 2,000 fans through the door receive a Shock team poster.
The Shock hope to snap a four-game losing streak when they host the Phoenix Mercury Thursday night. The teams are neck and neck in the West with Phoenix in second place and the Shock a close third. The Mercury come into the contest with an overtime victory against the Chicago Sky under the belt. The Shock have lost four in a row, their last outing a 76-69 home defeat to the Washington Mystics before the All-Star break.
After that loss, Shock All-Star forward Plenette Pierson was glad to have a midseason rest.
“We just know we have to take a mental break” said Pierson. “You know, everybody going their separate ways and doing whatever their going to do and come back refocused and re-energized.”
Over the last nine games, the Mercury has improved its field goal percentage by 5.8-percent to 43.2-percent (third in the WNBA). Since the Shock moved to Tulsa, Phoenix has won eight of the last ten at the BOK Center. Shock assistant coach Bridget Pettis was an inagural member of the Mercury and played six seasons with the team (1997-2001, 2006). She scored the first basket in team history, a three-pointer vs. Charlotte on June 22, 1997.
Injuries
- Shock – Tiffany Jackson Jones is out with a leg injury. Skylar Diggins is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
- Mercury – Guard Marta Xargay suffered a sprained left ankle on July 21 at Los Angeles, she is expected to miss 7 – 14 days and will not dress tonight.
