PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury had one goal heading into Game 3 of the WNBA playoff semifinal series against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday.

“We talked about guarding the yard,” Mercury guard Kahleah Copper said. 

The No. 4 seed Mercury protected home court and defeated the No. 1 seed Lynx 84-76 on Friday, improving to 2-1 in the best-of-five semifinal series. The Mercury now have the chance to close out the Lynx at home in Game 4 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and return to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.

Phoenix’s Big 3 of Satou Sabally (23 points), Kahleah Copper (21 points) and Alyssa Thomas (21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists) and combined for 65 of the Mercury’s 84 points. 

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected after getting her second technical foul. Thomas stole the ball from Napheesa Collier in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter and went in for a layup. The players knocked knees and Collier got hurt on the play, rolling her ankle. She had to be helped to the locker room.

‘When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt, there’s fights and this is the look that our league wants for some reason,’ Reeve said after the game. ‘We were trying to play through it. We try not to make excuses.

‘One of the best players in the league (Collier) shot zero free throws. Zero. And she had five fouls. Zero free throws. She got her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out. And probably has a fracture.’

Reeve finished her postgame remarks by asking for officiating changes and dropping a pair of f-bombs.

The Lynx will have to regroup if they want to stave off elimination.

“Stay locked. We not out of it. We’re still here. We’re still a great team,’ Lynx guard Courtney Williams said. ‘When it comes to the playoffs or any game, you can’t get too high or get too low.’

Natisha Hiedeman had 19 points off the bench to lead the Lynx. Collier added 17 points and Williams 14.

How many fouls do you get in the WNBA?

Each player is allowed five fouls per game and is disqualified on their sixth foul. Napheesa Collier currently has four fouls for the Lynx.

Napheesa Collier in foul trouble

Minnesota’s Collier was called for a transition take foul on Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas with 8:16 remaining in the game, Collier’s fourth personal foul. Collier previously fouled Kahleah Copper on the 3-point line with 9:35 remaining, giving Copper three free throw attempts. She remained in the game after both fouls. the Mercury have attempted 18 free throws. The Lynx have attempted eight.

End of Q3: Lynx 67, Mercury 63

Back and forth we go. Minnesota outscored Phoenix 23-15 in the third quarter and have a four-point lead heading into the fourth quarter after eight lead changes and six ties.

Natisha Hiedeman has been explosive off the bench for the Lynx, with a team-high 19 points, three assists and two rebounds in 17 minutes. (She’s plus-12 for the game, the highest among all players.) Napheesa Collier has 17 points and five rebounds, but appears to be bothered by the physicality so far. Courtney Williams added 14 points. 

Kahleah Copper (19 points) and Alyssa Thomas (17 points, six assists and five rebounds) have combined for 36 of the Mercury’s 63 points. Monique Akoa Makani added eight points and four rebounds. 

“We got to guard. We talked about guarding the yard,” Copper said. “We have to take pride in our one-on-one defense and really. Lock in on tendencies.”

Kahleah Copper called for technical for taunting

Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper have been chirping at each other all game. After Williams nailed a 3-pointer with 5:23 remaining in the third quarter to bring the Lynx within one point of the Mercury, Williams flashed three fingers toward Copper, who clapped in response. Copper stole the ball from the Lynx with 4:38 remaining and finished with a layup to go up by three. Copper let Williams hear it. Well, the referee also heard and charged her with a technical foul. Copper has a game-high 19 points, Williams has 12.

Halftime: Mercury 48, Lynx 44

The Mercury outscored the Lynx 29-22 in the second quarter to take a four-point lead into halftime. The Mercury are 2-1 this postseason when tied or leading at halftime. 

Mercury guard Kahleah Copper scored 13 of her 17 points in the second quarter. Alyssa Thomas added 11 points, five assists and two rebounds. Phoenix’s league-leading bench has contributed 11 points and the team is collectively shooting 3-of-10 from the 3-point line. (The Mercury shot 40.6% from 3 in their Game 2 comeback win over the Lynx.)

The Mercury are outscoring the Lynx 26-14 in the paint and have a slight 18-15 rebound advantage, including seven offensive rebounds for Phoenix, compared to five for Minnesota.  

Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has 13 points and three rebounds. Courtney Williams was held scoreless in the second quarter and remains at seven points, while Kayla McBride is still looking to find her rhythm. McBride opened the game 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from the 3-point line, before knocking down her first 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining in the first half.  

Natisha Hiedeman added eleven points, two assists and two rebounds in ten impactful minutes off the bench.

What time is Mercury vs. Lynx Game 3?

Game 3 of the WNBA semifinal series between the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx and No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury is scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET at PHX Arena in Phoenix .

How to watch Mercury vs. Lynx WNBA playoffs: TV, stream for Game 3

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
• Location: PHX Arena (Phoenix)
• TV: ESPN2
• Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited

Stream Lynx-Mercury series on Fubo (free trial)

Cheryl Reeve called for a technical foul

Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was fired up after a foul wasn’t called on Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, who was physical in the paint with Napheesa Collier with 5:26 remaining in the second quarter. As the Lynx’s possession ended with a shot clock turnover, Reeve charged the referee on the floor in frustration and was subsequently called for a technical after imitating the hip motion of Thomas and yelling at the official.

End of Q1: Lynx 22, Mercury 19

The Lynx have a three-point lead heading into the second quarter. Each team led by as many as five points in the back-and-fourth first stanza, which featured four lead changes and one tie. The Lynx have momentum after closing the first quarter on a 10-4 run. 

Lynx guard Courtney Williams has a game-high seven points, followed by six points from Bridget Carleton and five points for Naphessa Collier. Natisha Hiedeman added four points, one rebound and one assist in three minutes off the bench. The Lynx are shooting 47.4% from the field and 3-of-8 from 3. 

Mercury rookie guard Monique Akoa Makani leads Phoenix with five points, while Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas each added four points. The Mercury are shooting 41.2% from the field and 1-of-6 from the 3-point line, with the sole 3-pointer coming from Makani to get Phoenix on the board. 

Courtney Williams hot early

Game 3 is underway at PHX Arena. 

Courtney Williams has scored seven of Minnesota’s 15 points to start, shooting a perfect 3-of-3 including 1-of-1 from the 3-point line. Bridget Carleton added six points

Four of Phoenix’s five starters have scored, led by five points from rookie Monique Akoa Makani. Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas each added four points. 

It’s all tied up 15 all with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter.

Minnesota Lynx starting lineup

Head coach: Cheryl Reeve

• 6 Bridget Carleton | F 6′ 2′ – Iowa State
• 8 Alanna Smith | F 6′ 4′ – Stanford
• 10 Courtney Williams | G 5′ 8′ – South Florida
• 21 Kayla McBride | G 5′ 11′ – Notre Dame
• 24 Napheesa Collier | F 6′ 1′ – UConn

Minnesota Lynx injury report

Lynx guard Dijonai Carrington (left foot) has been ruled out the remainder of the postseason with a significant mid-foot sprain suffered in the Lynx’s Game 1 win against the Golden State Valkyries on September 17.  

Phoenix Mercury starting lineup

Head coach: Nate Tibbetts

• 0 Satou Sabally | F 6′ 4′ – Oregon
• 2 Kahleah Copper | G 6′ 1′ – Rutgers
• 4 Natasha Mack | C 6′ 4′ – Oklahoma State
• 8 Monique Akoa Makani | G 5′ 11′ – Cameroon
• 25 Alyssa Thomas | F 6′ 2′ – Maryland

Phoenix Mercury injury report

The Mercury have all players available for Game 3.

WNBA playoffs 2025: Lynx vs. Mercury scores, results and schedule

Best-of-five WNBA semifinal series tied, 1-1

• Game 1: Lynx 82, Mercury 69
• Game 2: Mercury 89, Lynx 83 OT
• Game 3: Lynx at Mercury, 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday (ESPN2)
• Game 4: Lynx at Mercury, 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday (ESPN)
• Game 5: Mercury at Lynx, TBD on Sept. 30*

Phoenix Mercury vs. the Jonas Brothers

The Jonas Brothers has a concert scheduled for Sunday night at PHX Arena. They moved it to Monday to accommodate Game 4. Mercury players weighed in on their favorite Jonas Brothers’ songs.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. courtside at for WNBA semifinals

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. knows something about winning titles.  He had an undefeated record and won 15 major world championships. 

Minnesota Lynx arrivals

Lynx are fighting through the bad weather to get to the arena.

Phoenix Mercury arrivals

Satou Sabally is all business in her suit.

Kathryn Westbeld in the house. The boots!

Can the Minnesota Lynx channel 2017 magic for another title?

The Minnesota Lynx have a chip on their shoulder. After losing the 2024 WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty in a winner-take-all Game 5 that went to overtime, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve emphatically called out “disappointing officiating,” saying the championship was “stolen from us.”

The heartbreaking loss lingers 10 months later, as the league-leading Lynx are in position to make another deep playoff run. “You feel that loss for a long time,” Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman told USA TODAY Sports. It has been the driving force behind the Lynx’s record-breaking season with the same goal: Winning a championship.

Read Cydney Henderson’s full story on the Lynx’s redemption season here.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

AI-assisted summary
• Team Europe established a 5.5-2.5 lead over the U.S. after the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
• President Donald Trump attended the event, and Air Force One dramatically flew over the first tee.
• Despite a slow start, the crowd atmosphere became electric, with a notable and vocal contingent of European fans.
• U.S. captain Keegan Bradley faced scrutiny for his player pairings, particularly the decision to reuse an unsuccessful duo.

FARMINGDALE, NY – Before the sun barely rose above the tree line in the distance, the grandstand behind the first tee at the 2025 Ryder Cup was packed to the brim by 6:30 a.m. local time. 

The atmosphere – promised to be electric, a Ryder Cup in New York, after all – was lacking in those wee hours of the morning. That eventually changed once the players headed out in the first foursome matches Friday morning.

From presidents to antics to potentially questionable decision-making by the U.S. captain, here are three takeaways from Day 1 of the Ryder Cup, which ended with the Europeans racing out to a 5.5-2.5 lead.

Welcome to the Ryder Cup, Mr. President

Two flyovers – one before each session – wasn’t enough, apparently. As Donald Trump landed on Long Island via Air Force One, the aircraft passed over the first hole to mark a one-of-a-kind spectacle. 

Trump, accompanied by his granddaughter Kai (a high school senior committed to play golf at the University of Miami next year), predominately watched from behind a bullet-proof glass enclosure set up behind the first tee. He also left that area to get an up-close look of Bryson Dechambeau’s driver shot in the afternoon session. 

When it came time for Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun to tee off in the afternoon, Scheffler – who was complimentary of the president earlier in the week – pointed to the Commander in Chief and smiled while Spaun did his own rendition of the “Trump dance.” 

“That was really a cool experience,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said. “Seeing an active President on the grounds of a Ryder Cup or at a golf event, what a cool thing. The flyover with Air Force One, I’ll never forget that the rest of my life. It was really cool.” 

Crowd gets going … eventually (and New Yorkers aren’t even the best part)

OK, whoever decided comedian Heather McMahan would be the one to hype up the crowd before Friday’s action got underway missed there. The comedian and the golf fanbase weren’t exactly a mix, especially at that hour of the morning. 

Maybe the expectations were too rosy for the effect the crowd would have on Team Europe. But they did not appear fazed at all throughout the day, despite some clever chirps from the crowd (the guy who threatened to cut Tommy Fleetwood’s hair almost took it too far). 

But the crowd mix isn’t as in favor of the U.S. as originally thought. The Europeans traveled well for this event (there appeared to be a lot of fans from Sweden, interestingly enough) and their chants and demeanor make for a better atmosphere compared to anything the American crowd threw out there. 

Keegan Bradley got – and is still being – too cute with it

Putting Russell Henley with Scheffler was certainly a choice, but the thinking that Henley’s approach game would pair well with Scheffler’s length off the tee was well-founded. But it certainly didn’t play out that way. But even more egregious was the Collin Morikawa-Harris English pairing. According to golf analytics site Data Golf, English and Morikawa ranked 132nd out of 132 possible optimal foursome pairings for a foursome session. They lost five holes on the front nine to Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood and their match ended after the 14th hole. 

One would think that would give Bradley a moment of reflection when making his Saturday pairings. Instead, the captain is sending the duo back out – again against McIlroy and Fleetwood.

If at first you don’t succeed, try again, sure. But with only 20 matches left and the U.S. in a hole, the logic feels flawed.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has once again provided one of the biggest upsets of the college football season.

For the second time this year, Mike Norvell and Florida State football were at the center of it — though on the opposite end. The No. 8-ranked Seminoles, ahead of a massive Week 6 game against No. 6-ranked Miami, went on the road to Virginia for a Friday night game and left with their first blemish on the season.

Unranked Virginia, which didn’t receive a single vote in the most recent US LBM Coaches Poll, knocked off FSU with a 46-38 double-overtime win, dropping the Seminoles to 3-1 on the season and 0-1 in ACC play. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, improved their record to 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play.

The hero of the game for Virginia may end up being junior defensive back Ja’Son Prevard, who twice intercepted Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos on the night. The first of those occurred at the end of the first quarter, negating what stood to be a Florida State scoring drive after he rushed the quarterback, tipped the ball and brought it in for the pick.

The second pick was less acrobatic, but more consequential, as it sealed Virginia’s win. He targeted Castellanos’ pass intended for Squirrel White, bringing the ball safely to the turf to end the game.

Florida State may look back at its first loss of the season and see missed opportunities across the board. In the first quarter alone, the Seminoles’ three offensive drives consisted of a punt, fumble and interception, followed by three straight second-quarter touchdown drives to enter halftime tied 21-21.

Florida State also had a missed field goal in the third quarter, a turnover on downs in the fourth and the game-sealing interception in double overtime.

The Seminoles may also look back at what would have been a game-tying touchdown in the second OT period, as receiver Duce Robinson bobbled the ball the entire length of the end zone, failing to get control of it before he exited out the back of the end zone.

Virginia was able to capitalize on those mistakes and pull out the win in a back-and-forth game. Cavaliers quarterback Chandler Morris wasn’t perfect, completing 26 of 35 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns to three interceptions. But he also rushed eight times for 37 yards and three touchdowns, accounting for all but one of the Cavaliers’ touchdowns (the other being a 26-yard J’Mari Taylor score to even the game at 21-21 in the second quarter).

The Cavaliers will next travel to Louisville on Saturday looking to keep its undefeated ACC record intact. Florida State, meanwhile, will look to respond positively in its rivalry game vs. Miami that, despite losing some of its luster, will have massive implications for the College Football Playoff.

This story has been updated with additional information.

AI-assisted summary
• Europe took a 5.5 to 2.5 lead over the U.S. after the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup.
• The U.S. team lost the afternoon session 2.5-1.5 after also losing the morning session 3-1.
• Two afternoon matches came down to the final hole, with the U.S. losing one and tying the other.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The tide was turning for the U.S. on the first day of the 2025 Ryder Cup on Friday, Sept. 26. After a flailing morning session, in which Europe raced out to a 3-1 advantage, the Americans had a chance to even that score and leave Day 1 with a 4-4 split. 

Instead, the U.S. again lost the session, 2.5-1.5, with two matches going down to the final hole; Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay tied Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry in the last match of the day to halve the point. 

“We would have absolutely taken this (Thursday) night if you had told us we would be five-and-a-half, two-and-a-half up,” McIlroy said. 

Bryson DeChambeau and Ben Griffin led Europe’s Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood for the first 13 holes of their fourball (best ball) match. Three holes later, they were down by two with two to play. A birdie by DeChambeau on the par-3 17th kept the U.S. alive, but Rose’s birdie on No. 18 sealed the 1-up victory for Europe. 

How different the feeling would be for the U.S. side if Griffin and DeChambeau could have halved or won their match, and Burns and Cantlay could have broken through in theirs. The fickle nature of Ryder Cups was never more apparent than those heavy moments as those matches came down to the wire. 

Of the two close matches in the afternoon – J.J. Spaun and Scottie Scheffler could never quite find a rhythm against Sepp Straka and Jon Rahm, while Cameron Young and Justin Thomas (who rebounded from a morning session in which he struggled) dominated Ludvig Åberg and Rasmus Højgaard – DeChambeau and Griffin had the best chance of scoring points and cutting into the early American deficit. DeChambeau let out a double fist-pump on the fifth after making birdie, and he nearly drove the sixth green and had a short birdie opportunity he missed. The pair appeared to take a two-hole lead on the seventh after Griffin drained a long birdie putt, much to the delight of the crowd and DeChambeau, only for Rose to immediately answer and suck the momentum back to their side and away from the crowd at Bethpage Black.

“Luck is on their side right now,” DeChambeau said in his television interview after the second match on Friday.

Back and forth the teams battled until Fleetwood’s birdie at 11 tied it and another birdie from him on the par-3 14th gave he and Rose an advantage they never surrendered despite a surge from the U.S. One hole earlier, a spectator threatened to cut off his luscious, long brown hair in his sleep. On the next, with more heckling coming his way prior to his birdie putt, Fleetwood made sure to stare into the grandstand behind the hole for added effect. 

McIlroy’s birdie putt on 13 lipped around the edge nearly 360 degrees to move the Americans into a tie in that match, but Cantlay could not take advantage despite an excellent tee shot on 14, as he missed a short birdie putt. The match stayed tied until the end. 

The morning session had none of that excitement. Europe hasn’t lost a Friday morning session dating back to 2021 now. Their 4-0 cushion in Paris two years ago paved the way for a walkover victory for the Europeans. According to datagolf, the Europeans gained 4.7 strokes on the putting green during the morning session.  

The Americans rebounded from the 6-2 deficit to win the 1999 Ryder Cup at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where captain Keegan Bradley watched as a boy. He’ll have to inspire a similar comeback from his team to accomplish victory at Bethpage. 

“Happy with the way we’re playing,” Bradley said. “Hopefully it’ll turn and our putts will go in (Saturday).” 

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PHOENIX — The No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx are on the brink of elimination and they may be without their star forward Napheesa Collier.

The Lynx dropped Game 3 of their WNBA playoff semifinal series to the Phoenix Mercury 84-76 on Friday in Phoenix and are down 2-1 in the best-of-five round. To add insult to insult to injury, Collier went down with an apparent left ankle injury with 21.8 seconds remaining in the game. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said Collier ‘probably has a fracture,’ putting her status for Game 4 on Sunday in jeopardy.

‘When you let the physicality happen, people get hurt, there’s fights and this is the look that our league wants for some reason,’ Reeve said in a profanity-laced postgame rant. ‘One of the best players in the league shot zero free throws. Zero. And she had five fouls… She got her shoulder pulled out and finished the game with her leg being taken out. And probably has a fracture.’

Here’s what we know about Collier’s injury:

Is Napheesa Collier playing vs. Mercury on Sunday?

It’s not clear if Collier will play in Game 4 on Sunday.

Napheesa Collier injury timeline

The incident happened when Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas cleanly swiped the ball from Collier with 23.8 seconds left in Game 3 as the Mercury led 82-76. Thomas appeared to make incidental contact with Collier’s knee, resulting in Collier turning her left ankle. Collier went down clutching her ankle and did not return. No foul was called on the play, infuriating Reeve and leading to her second technical foul and subsequent ejection.

Collier was previously sidelined for seven games with a right ankle sprain after landing awkwardly in Minnesota’s blowout victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Aug. 2. Minnesota went 5-2 during that stretch.The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.