Akoa Makani Changed the Game in Win Vs Valkyries

After Monique Akoa Makani checked in near the end of the third quarter, the Phoenix Mercury were a completely different team.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Veronica Burton (22) gets fouled by Phoenix Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani (8) in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

In the first half of the Phoenix Mercury's win against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night, the home team was getting whatever they wanted on offense. Veronica Burton was driving the lane at will and setting up her teammates for wide open looks on the perimeter and the interior. The Valkyries put up a whopping 59 first-half points and hit 50% from three and the Mercury were on pace to give up 118, which would have easily been their worst defensive game of the season.

The second half was a different story. Kahleah Copper lauded the team's ability to hone in on "the things we wanted to correct" during the postgame press conference, per Desert Wave Media. "I like that we're able to self-correct and I like that we're able to make adjustments in-game because that's gonna be important down the stretch," she said. One of those key adjustments was leaning on a player who isn't one of the team's biggest stars, but is quietly one of their most important players.

Monique Akoa Makani had missed the team's previous game in Seattle due to a knee issue and, while she was in the lineup on Tuesday, she was not in the starting lineup and barely played in the first half, perhaps having been placed on a minutes restriction. But once she checked in the game with just a bit under three minutes remaining in the third quarter, she never came out again and the team's defense looked completely different.

Burton, who had cruised to 20 points already at that point (and 16 in the first half alone), had just four for the rest of the night, and Akoa Makani's ability to stay attached to her through screens and keep her from getting to her spots helped slow down a Valkyries offense that had gotten far too comfortable in targeting the Mercury's other point guards. The Mercury were able to rotate better in help defense situations too, thanks to the decrease in dribble penetration.

The Mercury outscored the home team by 16 after she checked in and she looked much more like her usual self than she did in her brief cameo in the first half. "I didn't think in the first half when she came in she was playing at the level that she needed to...I didn't know where her rhythm was. I wanted to give her a second chance in the second half," said head coach Nate Tibbetts, who noted that she defended Burton well. "That's the Mo that we know. That's the Mo that we need. She sets the tone for our defense when she competes at that level."

A healthy Akoa Makani is a game-changer for the Mercury, a key part of the team's identity on the offensive and defensive ends. She may not stuff the stat sheet like the team's superstars, but Phoenix makes a deep playoff run this year, she'll be one of the main reasons.

Head to our Facebook and X pages for more on the Phoenix Mercury.