'We needed her out there': Whitcomb posts season high

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Phoenix Mercury guard and Australian Opals captain Sami Whitcomb played her most minutes of the WNBA season in the Mercury's 94-87 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, three weeks out from captaining the Opals at the World Cup in Berlin.

Twenty-two minutes, and her coach was not hiding what it meant.

"Super happy for Sami. This is probably a season high in minutes," Nate Tibbetts said.

"I know it's been a tough year for her, with the minutes restriction and the limitation of the minutes that she's gotten, the goal was 20 tonight.

"I went over a little bit, but we needed her out there. Really happy for her that she had the performance that she did."

It was a season high, and not by much. Whitcomb's previous best across 14 games this year was 21 minutes, and before Wednesday she had been held under 20 in all but two of them.

She finished with seven points on 2-from-6 from the field and 2-from-5 from three, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and she was plus-20, the best mark of any Australian in the league on the day.

Whitcomb has been managing a knee injury since April and has spent the season on a minutes restriction, which is the backdrop to all of it. She is in her 10th WNBA and she will lead Australia into a third World Cup campaign chasing a first world title since 2006.

Phoenix are 13-22 and eleventh of fifteen. The win does not change their season. It may well change hers.

Rebecca Allen scores 11 in the Liberty's loss

New York forward Rebecca Allen, 33, was the leading Australian scorer on the day with 11 points, going 4-from-6 from the field and 3-from-5 from three with two rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes.

It was not enough. The Indiana Fever won 106-92, pulling away with a 35-point second quarter, and the Liberty slipped to 20-14 and seventh.

Allen announced in July that she will retire at the end of this season, so every remaining Liberty game is a countdown.

Anneli Maley was not in New York's game-day 12.

Georgia Amoore hands out four assists in Washington's loss

Washington guard Georgia Amoore, 25, played 20 minutes against the Las Vegas Aces, finishing with four assists but without scoring on 0-from-3 shooting, including 0-from-2 from three.

Las Vegas won 86-76 to move to 23-11 and third. Washington are 19-13 and sixth.

Stephanie Talbot, 32, played seven minutes for the Aces and did not attempt a shot.

The Australians on tomorrow's card

Three more Australians are scheduled to play in the next slate. Alanna Smith is with Dallas against Toronto, Chloe Bibby with Minnesota against Portland, and Nyadiew Puoch with Portland in the same game. Chicago against Golden State is the only fixture on the card with no Australian in it.

More: Australians in the WNBA | Yesterday's wrap | Where the Opals sit in the world rankings

KEY DETAILS

Results

• Phoenix Mercury 94 def Los Angeles Sparks 87
• Indiana Fever 106 def New York Liberty 92
• Las Vegas Aces 86 def Washington Mystics 76

Australians who played

• Sami Whitcomb (Phoenix): 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 22 minutes, plus-20
• Rebecca Allen (New York): 11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 24 minutes, minus-5
• Georgia Amoore (Washington): 0 points, 4 assists, 20 minutes, plus-3
• Stephanie Talbot (Las Vegas): 0 points, 7 minutes, minus-2

Australians not in the game-day 12: Anneli Maley (New York)