PHOENIX (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 27 points, Alyssa Thomas added 20 and Phoenix never trailed Saturday night as the Mercury beat the Seattle Storm 81-59 in the season opener for both teams.
Thomas, who also had seven rebounds and six assists, and Sabally came to Phoenix in the offseason by way of sign-and-trade deals from Connecticut and Dallas, respectively.
Eight players made their debut for the Mercury, the most to do so in the same game for the franchise since nine did so in 1999 — the WNBA's inaugural season.
Skylar Diggins scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and Nneka Ogwumike made 5 of 10 from the field and finished with 12 points for the Storm.