Six-Time WNBA All-Star Thanks New Team After Leaving Indiana Fever
A former Indiana Fever player is getting well-adjusted to her latest WNBA team after a monstrous performance against the Golden State Valkyries Monday night at Chase Center.
At 15-6, the Mercury have won eight of their last ten games, improving their winning streak to three. The tightly contested matchup at Golden State featured a near-comeback orchestrated by rising Valkyries star Janelle Salaun, who hit a contested three and a mid-range 17-footer on back-to-back possessions to tie the game in the final moments of regulation.
However, six-time All-Star and 16-year veteran DeWanna Bonner helped lead the Mercury to a 78-77 victory with a season-high 22 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes. Bonner returns to Phoenix–where she played ten seasons and won two championships–after a short stint in Indiana with the Fever.
Speaking postgame, Bonner credited the Mercury organization after the victory for helping her get adjusted to returning to an elevated role.
On getting reacclimatized to Phoenix, she stated, "The team, the coaching staff, the supporting cast, has done a great job of catching me up to speed... Credit to Phoenix, the organization, everybody catching me up really quick. I kind of got thrown in the fire but they’ve been great."
Bonner also praised Golden State's crowd, adding, "I was a little shook at first, the first couple minutes, that crowd was amazing."
Raucous and passionate, Valkyries fans have helped the Bay Area expansion franchise lead the league in attendance in its first season.
The 6’4’’ forward out of Auburn missed two crucial free throws late in the 4th quarter, but led all scorers and rebounders in the contest, helping replace production from three-time All-Star Satou Sabally, who has missed three games with an ankle injury.
Salaun, Veronica Burton, and Tiffany Hayes scored in double-figures for the Valkyries despite the loss. Golden State All-Star Kayla Thornton added eight points, six rebounds, and four assists in 38 minutes of action.
Anwar Stetson is a Multimedia Sports Journalist from Los Angeles, California. He previously worked as a TV News Reporter for KRCR News Channel 7 in Chico, California--covering politics, local news, wildfires, crime, and high school football. As an Assistant Editor for Spectrum Sportsnet: Los Angeles, Anwar worked on award-winning programs Backstage:Lakers and Backstage:Dodgers, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the two franchises' most prominent athletes. Anwar is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where he received his Master's Degree in Specialized Journalism (Sports Emphasis) in 2019. He graduated from the University of California, Merced with a B.A. in English in 2016. In addition to Sports Illustrated, Anwar covers high school sports for Prep Network, and the WNBA for The Sporting Tribune.