Alyssa Thomas totaled 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as the host Phoenix Mercury recorded a 79-73 victory over the New York Liberty in the deciding third game of a first-round series on Friday night.

The fourth-seeded Mercury advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2021 and will open their next series Sunday against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.

Satou Sabally paced the Mercury with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Thomas made several clutch plays down the stretch to help Phoenix overcome a 30-point showing by Breanna Stewart.

Sami Whitcomb added 13 off the bench and Kahleah Copper contributed a dozen. Neither team shot over 37 percent from the floor, but the Mercury did hit 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from long distance and outrebounded New York, 49-33.

Stewart scored all 1

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