There was something about being down eight points going into the fourth quarter of a do-or-die game that awoke the bear in Diana Taurasi.

After scoring just 10 points through three quarters, the 39-year-old delivered 14 in the fourth to lead the No. 5 Mercury to an 87-84 win over the No. 2 Aces in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals on Friday.

After the game, before Phoenix head coach could even hear the end of the question about what gave Phoenix the win, she said, “Diana making shots. She gave us hope.”

On a fractured foot and a sprained ankle, Taurasi hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. Those buckets helped Phoenix finally re-gain the lead over Las Vegas, who had been ahead by 10 points through much of the third.

In the last two minutes of a tie game, the 6-foot point guard blocked a layup attempt by 6-8 Liz Cambage and immediately followed that with another 3-pointer.

“In these moments, you just can’t care anymore,” Taurasi nonchalantly said of her performance after the game.

"SHE'S THE GOAT!"

Brittney Griner had to video bomb Diana Taurasi's interview with @ROSGO21 😅 pic.twitter.com/mltIh34AMu

— ESPN (@espn) October 9, 2021

The Mercury made it through 16 games this season without their star, getting Taurasi back only recently, in the second round of playoffs against the Seattle Storm.

“It shows what happens when she’s on the court,” Brondello said. “That’s how special she is. We knew if we could just get her healthy, get her back, good things would happen.”

Taurasi wasn’t the only injured Phoenix player. Kia Nurse is out for the rest of the season after tearing her ACL in Game 4, and Sophie Cunningham, who played a big role in getting the Mercury through the first round of playoffs, sat out of Friday’s game with a calf injury.

Brondello hopes Cunningham will be back on Wednesday for Game 2 of the Finals at the latest.

‘I’ve got so much respect for Shey’

Taurasi saved the Mercury in the fourth quarter, but giving Phoenix momentum in the first half was Shey Peddy, who took on a bigger role in the absence of Nurse and Cunningham. Finishing the game with a playoff-high 15 points, the 32-year-old led Phoenix to a 20-14 lead in the first 10 minutes with seven points and strong defense.

“She’s resilient, to be quite honest,” said Brondello. “She fits in, wherever you need her.”

Averaging 5.4 points per game this season, the guard came to the Mercury in August 2020 after getting waived by the Washington Mystics. She was drafted 23rd overall by the Chicago Sky in 2012 and subsequently cut in three WNBA training camps — 2012 by the Sky, then 2013 and 2019 by the Mystics — and didn’t make her WNBA debut until June 2019 with Washington.

Teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith’s eyes filled with tears when talking about Peddy during the postgame press conference.

“I’ve got so much respect for Shey,” she said through tears. “Her story is just so inspiring. She just works so hard … Even when my confidence is down, she pushes me. She’s just a great teammate.”

Patience is a virtue! 🙏🏾 https://t.co/VKO8mz5mef

— Shey Peddy (@SheyP11) October 9, 2021

Diggins-Smith is heading to her first WNBA Finals after eight years in the league, contributing 14 points and eight assists against the Aces on Friday.

Brittney Griner had a team-high 28 points, along with nine rebounds, to continue her dominant playoff run. She added the most important block of the night in the final two seconds of the game to keep the Aces from tying the game at 84.

The Mercury will face the Chicago Sky in a rematch of the 2014 WNBA Finals, which Phoenix won in three games with Taurasi and Griner. Neither team has been in the Finals since then.

Game 1 of the best-of-five championship series tips off Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, Sportsnet and NBA TV.

Jessa Braun is an editorial intern for Just Women’s Sports. She is also the Head of North American Content for the Women’s Sports Alliance. You can find her on Twitter @jessabraun.

After a dramatic 3-0 win over crosstown rival Manchester United on Saturday, Manchester City is now leading the WSL, sitting three points clear atop the 2025/26 league table while notably extending their advantage over second-place powerhouse Chelsea FC.

The home side scored all three of their goals in the first half, with defender Rebecca Knaak putting City ahead in the 26th minute before attacker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw added to the lead in the 43rd minute.

Returning from injury with a vengeance, forward Lauren Hemp sealed the deal for the Citizens with the final goal in first-half stoppage time.

"It's so nice to be back," Hemp said postgame. "Today we showed the mentality that I said at the start we needed to show."

While reigning six-time WSL champions Chelsea have yet to lose a match this WSL season, a trio of 2025/26 draws has the Blues now trailing the current eight-win, one-loss record held by Manchester City.

As for United, the WSL third-place Red Devils were without star goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce in Saturday's loss, after the USWNT net-minder suffered a fractured eye socket in November 8th's 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

"She should be fine, it's just trying to make sure she doesn't get another knock in that area," said United manager Marc Skinner, noting that Tullis-Joyce could return as soon as the club's 2025/26 Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

One of this season's NWSL Coach of the Year finalists is moving on up, with Kansas City manager Vlatko Andonovski leaving his position as the Current's head coach to become the club's full-time global sporting director.

Andonovski has been juggling both jobs since joining the Current in October 2023, with the 49-year-old coming off what was arguably his most successful managerial season, leading Kansas City to a first-ever NWSL Shield amidst a record-shattering 2025 campaign.

In his new role, Andonovski will "implement the long-term vision for the club's technical and athletic success, as well as be responsible for player recruitment, roster strategy and scouting."

"It's vital to move into this role to keep growing this club with the aim of being a perennial contender on the global stage and a top developer of talent," Andonovski said in Friday's club announcement.

With the administrative switch in the works prior to last weekend's playoff upset, Andonovski will now join the hiring committee tasked with appointing his successor, while continuing his head coaching duties until Kansas City secures its new manager.

In another front office shift, the Current's head of soccer operations Ryan Dell will immediately take over as the club's GM, with former GM Caitlin Carducci departing the club after one year at the helm.

Michigan women's basketball is on the rise, as the then-No. 14 Wolverines avenged their early 2025 NCAA tournament exit with a stunning 93-54 blowout win over then-No. 18 Notre Dame on Saturday.

Michigan sophomore guard Olivia Olson led the game in scoring with 20 points as the Wolverines put together a true team effort, with six bench players combining for 38 points in the win.

The Big Ten team also dominated defensively, limiting the Fighting Irish bench to just two points while keeping Notre Dame star guard Hannah Hidalgo to a mere 12-point performance.

"We knew exactly what Michigan was going to do," said Notre Dame basketball head coach Niele Ivey afterwards. "We did not have any type of fight defensively, and that's where we have to start."

The Wolverines' victory was especially sweet after Notre Dame ousted Michigan from last season's national tournament with a 76-55 second-round Irish win.

Saturday's fallout also affected this week's AP Top 25 poll, with Notre Dame falling six ranks to No. 24 while Michigan earned an eight-spot bump to No. 6.

After quietly recruiting five-star talents like Olson and Syla Swords in 2024, Michigan — a program that has yet to earn a title at the NCAA or conference level — proved over the weekend that they are entering the 2025/26 season with added depth and experience.

"That's why I committed to Michigan," Swords told JWS at October's Big Ten Media Day. "That's why so many of us came there, because we wanted to be part of something new, part of something that's never been done."

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is back in action, subbing into her team's 2025 NWSL semifinal win in Saturday's 90th minute as she continues to rehab a sprained MCL — with questions still remaining surrounding her future with the club.

"It felt amazing," she said afterwards. "If I get 30 seconds, or if I get 90 minutes, it feels great to be out there."

Rodman will hope for more involvement in next weekend's NWSL Championship game, taking the pitch for the Spirit in her final match under contact before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

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The USWNT standout's extension negotiations have apparently made it all the way up to the NWSL commissioner, with Rodman garnering interest from multiple UK clubs willing to outspend the US league's salary cap restrictions.

The NWSL's most recent collective bargaining agreement sets each club's current salary cap at $3.3 million, which will titrate up to $5.1 million by 2030.

"Right now, my head's completely down. It's been so distracting being injured, and that's all I can really think about," Rodman said on Saturday, addressing the reports. "Once we get this championship, then I can start making decisions and figuring out what next year looks like for me."

With rumors swirling around Rodman and her future with the Spirit, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman defended the salary cap this week, telling CBS Sports that the parity the cap fosters is "the reason our league is the most competitive league in the world."